This square crown with a portrait of Christopher Columbus belongs to an unusual 2014 issue in which Tristan da Cunha — itself an island named after a navigator — honoured the great explorers. The reverse shows Columbus with a ship and a ship’s wheel behind him, inscribed «CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS» and «ONE CROWN».

Columbus, a Genoese sailing for the Spanish Crown, reached the New World in 1492. On this coin he keeps company the islanders chose with care: the same year saw crowns for Marco Polo, Sir Walter Raleigh and Tristão da Cunha, the Portuguese captain who first sighted the archipelago in 1506, though rough seas prevented a landing.

The obverse bears a portrait of Elizabeth II with the inscription «HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II TDC 2014». The square shape stands out in any album and makes the coin a natural entry in a collection of unusually shaped coins.

It suits a themed collection on navigators and the Age of Discovery as well as a Tristan da Cunha collection, where the explorers series links the island to the story of its own discovery. In UNC grade the coin has never circulated and shows no wear.

Would you like to complete the whole series? See the other issues in the VPcoins catalogue.