2011 SHIPS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD - GOLDEN HIND 1OZ SILVER PROOF COIN

The second release in this charming series features the Golden Hind, best known for its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake.

The Golden Hind was an English galleon renamed by Drake to compliment his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, whose armorial crest was a golden 'hind' (the heraldic term for a female deer).  Hatton was one of the principal sponsors of Drake's world voyage.

In 1577, Queen Elizabeth I of England chose Sir Francis Drake as the leader of an expedition intended to pass around South America through the Strait of Magellan and to explore the coast that lay beyond.  Before setting sail, Drake met the queen face-to-face for the first time where she said to him, ‘We would gladly be revenged on the King of Spain for divers injuries that we have received’.  In effect, the Queen gave Drake her unofficial permission to privateer.

Drake returned to England in September 1580 with a ship’s hold full of Spanish treasure and only 56 men of the original crew remaining.  Queen Elizabeth, delighted with her bounty, went aboard the Golden Hind and bestowed an immediate knighthood on Drake. 

• Proof Quality 99.9% Pure Silver
• Golden Hind Coloured Reverse Design
• Tuvalu Legal Tender
• Extremely Limited Mintage – 5,000
• Numbered Certificate of Authenticity
• Illustrated Presentation Packaging