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100 ECU Spanish Navy - Casto Méndez Núñez
| Issuer | Spain |
|---|---|
| Year | 1996 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | ECU (1979-1999) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | 100 ECU ESPAÑA |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The ECU — European Currency Unit — was a basket currency used for accounting within the European Monetary System from 1979 onward, never physically circulated, and abolished when the euro was introduced in 1999. Spain's gold ECU issues of the 1990s exploited a legal loophole allowing member states to strike coins denominated in ECU, producing collectibles that were technically legal tender but practically irrelevant as currency.
Casto Méndez Núñez commanded the Spanish frigate Numancia during the 1866 Battle of Callao against Peruvian shore batteries, reportedly refusing evacuation after being wounded with the line attributed to him: "Better to die with honour than to live with infamy." He survived, returned to Spain celebrated, and died in 1869.