It’s a truly memorable event for collectors of African coins: after a long period of dis-continuation, the West African Republic of Equatorial Guinea is finally issuing a new commemorative coin at the end of September. Designed by the Liechtenstein company Coin Invest Trust, the coin commemorates Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó, who started the colonisation of what was to become today’s Equatorial Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea’s commemorative coin remembers Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó.
In 1472, he was the first European to land on the island of Bioko, which is part of today’s Equatorial Guinea.
Up to date, Equatorial Guinea has only minted at irregular intervals, so commemorative coins from this country are scarce. This makes it all the more spectacular that the country is issuing a new commemorative coin in gold after so many years. Collectors should keep their eyes and ears open for other potentially forthcoming commemorative coins.
This small gold coin is dedicated to Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó, who was the first European to sail the West African coast. In 1472, he landed his caravels on the island of Bioko off the West African coast and claimed it for Portugal. The Portuguese used it as a trading post to organise their entire trade network in Western Africa. Pó’s discovery finally became important in a global context when the Portuguese traded it against parts of Spanish Brazil in 1777–78. In 1985, the country became a member of the Economic Community of Central African States. Ever since, the CFA franc has been its official currency.
*The coins are minted by B.H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt GmbH.
Collectors can purchase the issue through specialty dealers.
