Three words instead of a portrait: «RESPONSABILIDADE UNIDADE EFICACIA» — «Responsibility, Unity, Efficiency» — set out Cape Verde’s agenda for the tenth anniversary of independence. The commemorative 10 escudos of 1985 marks the decade since 5 July 1975.

At the centre of the reverse is a letter design beneath a star, surrounded by «DECIMO ANIVERSARIO» («tenth anniversary»), «CABO VERDE» and the dates «1975 X 1985», the Roman X pointing straight to the jubilee. The obverse carries the arms in a wreath, the legend «REPUBLICA DE CABO VERDE» and an unusually full statement of value: «10 ESCUDOS CABOVERDIANOS» — «10 Cape Verdean escudos».

Struck for circulation, the coin matches the size of the regular 10 escudos with Eduardo Mondlane but carries a completely different theme. Among the country’s commemoratives it sits between the first coins of 1977 and the 200 escudos of 1995 and 2005, which mark the 20th and 30th anniversaries of independence.

UNC grade: the coin never circulated, there is no wear, the mint lustre is intact, and only minor storage marks are acceptable. For a collection tracing Cape Verde’s independence anniversaries decade by decade, this is the starting point.

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