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25 ECU Vasco da Gama
| Issuer | Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda |
|---|---|
| Year | 1995 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 28 g |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features a central design divided diagonally into two fields: at left, the Portuguese coat of arms (quinas shield) set against a textured background with a geometric meander border element, and at right, a depiction of a carrack (Portuguese sailing vessel) navigating the seas. A tall lighthouse or tower motif rises prominently at the center top. A ring of twelve five-pointed stars, symbolic of the European Community, encircles the central design near the rim. The legend PORTUGAL arcs across the upper field, with the date 1995 and the denomination 25 ECU inscribed in the lower right portion of the coin. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a richly detailed portrait of Vasco da Gama in left-facing three-quarter view, rendered in high relief, depicting the explorer as a bearded elder statesman wearing a period hat and draped attire. To the right of his effigy, a detailed composition of Portuguese carracks and an Asian junk under sail is depicted upon stylized waves, evoking the Age of Discovery and da Gama's historic voyages to India. The legend EUROPA E OS NOVOS MUNDOS (Europe and the New Worlds) curves along the upper rim. The mint mark INCM appears at the lower left, while the inscription VASCO DA GAMA is prominently displayed across the lower field. |
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| Additional information |
The 25 ECU denomination was a peculiar creature — the European Currency Unit was never legal tender in any conventional sense, existing purely as a basket currency and accounting unit until it was absorbed into the euro project. Portugal's decision to issue collector pieces denominated in ECU during the 1990s was partly promotional, part of a broader European push by national mints to normalize the currency concept ahead of monetary union.
Vasco da Gama's 1497–1499 voyage established the first direct sea route from Europe to India, bypassing Ottoman-controlled overland trade entirely. The timing of this 1995 issue anticipates the 1998 centenary commemorations by three years — likely by design, given the Expo '98 in Lisbon was already in planning.