100 Pesos 1981 Santa Maria NGC MS69 Cuba Gold COA 010

100 Pesos Cuba 1981 – Columbus ship – Santa Maria

From the series of Columbus ships that discovered America: Santa Maria, Nińa and Pinta.

Only 2000 copies were minted.

This issue, with a grading end number of 010, was rated very high by the NGC at MS69, with only 7 others rated similarly high.

History:

The fleet of Columbus’ first transatlantic voyage of discovery in 1492 consisted of the three famous ships Santa Maria, Nińa and Pinta.

On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus and his crew set sail from the port of Palos in southern Spain with three ships: la Santa Clara (Niña), la Pinta and la Santa Gallega (Santa Maria). Two of the ships, the Niña and the Pinta, were quite tiny by today’s standards – only 50 to 70 feet, but were prized for their speed and maneuverability. The Santa Maria was the largest of the three ships in which Christopher Columbus began his long voyage to find a western sea route to India on August 3, 1492. On October 12, he discovered the island of San Salvador, east of Cuba. This was the beginning of the Spanish colonization of Central America.

Technical details:

Front
Cuban coat of arms, country name on top, weight and fineness on sides, face value on bottom.

Labeling:
REPUBLICA DE CUBA
12 G. 100 PESOS AU 0.917

Back
Christopher Columbus’ ship named “Santa Maria”, date and mint mark top right, name of ship below.

Labeling:
DESCUBRIMIENTO DE AMERICA
1981
SANTA MARIA

Mint:
Empresa Cubana de Acuñaciones, Havana, Cuba