The women’s basketball tournament at Barcelona ’92 was won by the team of a country that no longer existed: gold went to the Unified Team of former Soviet republics, while the United States settled for bronze. These silver 2000 pesetas with basketball players were struck two years earlier, in 1990.

The reverse shows two players contesting under the hoop beside the Games emblem and the legend «XXV OLIMPIADA BARCELONA 1992», with the denomination «2000 PTAS». The obverse has King Juan Carlos I and Prince Felipe in conjoined profile, the inscription «JUAN CARLOS I REY DE ESPAÑA» and the year of issue, 1990.

The men’s event in Barcelona was just as unusual: professionals played in the Olympic tournament for the first time, the United States took gold, Croatia silver and Lithuania, now competing as an independent state, bronze. The games were played in Badalona, in a pavilion built for the Olympics.

This coin is in standard collector quality rather than proof. It rounds out a basketball theme collection and the 1990 series of Olympic 2000 pesetas.

Grade UNC: the coin never circulated, shows no wear and keeps its mint lustre; only minor storage marks are possible.

A coin in a collection is a reason to learn more about history, and the VPcoins catalogue offers many such reasons.