Silver Coin 3 Oz 250th Anniversary of James Cook's Exploratory Voyage 2020 Antique Standard

250th Anniversary - Cook´s Voyage of Discovery

This unique silver coin, partially filled with semi-permeable enamel, is issued by the Solomon Islands State for 2020 and weighs 3 Oz (93.3 g) of the purest 99.9% silver in Ultra High Relief and Antique Standard finish. The coin is being released to commemorate the 250th anniversary of James Cook's voyage of exploration, which contributed significantly to the redrawing of the map of the Pacific.

The motif on the reverse of the coin symbolically links the various images referring to James Cook's first exploratory voyage. The left part is dominated by the figure of the famous sailor on the deck of the ship, using a sextant to determine his geographical position. The right edge of the coin shows the exploration ship HMS Endeavour sailing out with its sails stretched. Both images are complemented at the top by a circle marking the event 'COOK'S VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY'. The decorative ribbon at the bottom states the anniversary '250th ANNIVERSARY' and below it the years '1770 - 2020'. The inner part of the coin is filled with transparent blue enamel, representing a map of the vast Pacific Ocean region. The Australian continent, marked 'AUSTRALIA', the islands of New Zealand and a ship's rudder rise above the imaginary ocean surface. Below the surface is the marked route of the expedition, small ship shapes indicating the direction of travel and the cartographic descriptions "NEW ZEALAND" and "PACIFIC OCEAN".
James Cook's first exploratory expedition (1768-1771) refined theories about the unexplored southern continent of Terra Australis Incognita. Since the time of Aristotle, the existence of a vast southern landmass extending southwards from the Indian Ocean boundary had been believed. Subsequent naval expeditions to this region made the unexplored continent smaller and smaller on charts, but it was James Cook's exploratory voyage that brought breakthrough insights. In late 1769, he sailed around the North and South Islands of New Zealand and proved that they were separate islands. He then continued westward and during 1770 explored the east coast of Australia (then New Holland), New Guinea and other Pacific islands. He occupied the newly mapped areas for the benefit of the Crown, thus expanding the British Empire by adding more colonies. In the early days of the colonisation of Australia, New Holland was renamed New South Wales and used as a penal colony by the British government.

The obverse of the coin bears the motif of a compass rose with the cardinal points marked. It features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in the centre, surrounded by the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II", "SOLOMON ISLANDS", the denomination "10 DOLLARS", the year of issue "2020" and the fineness and weight information.

The coin comes in a deluxe wooden box along with a numbered certificate of authenticity in a limited edition of only 500 pieces for the entire world!