Gold Coin 1 Kg Battle of Trafalgar 200th Anniversary 2005 Proof

Kilo Gold Coin - Battle of Trafalgar - 200th Anniversary

A unique gold coin issued in 2005 by the States of Alderney, struck by the Royal British Mint at one kilogram in top proof quality, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the famous Battle of Trafalgar, which took place on 21 October 1805.

The coin features a portrait of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson on its reverse, surrounded by ships of the British naval fleet that Nelson commanded. The motif is accompanied by the inscription 'TRAFALGAR' and the face value. The obverse depicts a traditional portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf, accompanied by the inscription 'Elizabeth II Alderney' and the year of issue.

The coin comes in a luxury mahogany wooden box along with an illustrated and numbered certificate of authenticity in an extremely limited edition of only 40 pieces for the entire world!

Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on 21 October 1805 off the southwestern Atlantic coast of Spain. The British navy, led by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, defeated the combined Franco-Spanish navy. Nelson himself was killed towards the end of the battle, but with this victory in the last great naval battle of sail in history, Great Britain confirmed its naval supremacy and became the world's strongest naval power for the next more than a century.

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte conquered much of continental Europe. His next goal was to destroy France's traditional rival on land and sea - Great Britain. He developed a bold plan to cross the English Channel and land in southern England. He attempted to mass his war fleet at the mouth of the channel and outnumber the British defenders. But his plan was foiled by a successful manoeuvre by the British Royal Navy. The combined Franco-Spanish fleet was forced to take refuge in the Spanish port of Cadiz. Napoleon, with great reluctance, had to cancel the invasion preparations. He turned his great army eastward and launched a campaign against Austria.

Napoleon nevertheless ordered a combined Franco-Spanish fleet to enter the Mediterranean to support his campaign against Austria. At that time, however, the British had a very strong naval force around Cadiz, commanded by Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. The traditional strategy of naval battle at that time was to assemble warships in long lines (hence the so-called line ships). Thus, two parallel rows of ships were always facing each other in an attack. Each ship ideally had one opponent, and the battle was fought with the ships firing one cannon volley after another at each other. Nelson decided to break this old tradition.

Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Brontë, KB (29 September 1758 Burnham Thorpe - 21 October 1805 Cape Trafalgar, Spain) was a British naval commander and is considered a national hero. As Vice Admiral (Vice Admiral of the White) of the British Royal Navy from 1789, he commanded the British fleet in the Mediterranean. His victory at the Battle of Abukir in 1798 gave Great Britain naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. In 1805, he confirmed Britain's supremacy at sea by winning the Battle of Trafalgar, where he defeated the combined Franco-Spanish fleet. However, he himself was killed in the battle when he was hit by a bullet fired from the French ship Redoutable aboard the privateer HMS Victory.

Horatio Nelson's body was placed in a brandy barrel after his death to withstand transport to his homeland. After a glorious two-day display and burial, Nelson was placed in a sarcophagus with a monumental statue of the standing warrior in St Paul's Cathedral, London. To commemorate the battle, Trafalgar Square in London was landscaped and named in front of the Ministry of Naval Forces and a column with a statue of Admiral Nelson was erected there. The great lions which lie at the base of the tall column of the monument are said to have been cast from captured French and Spanish cannon.