Spain will issue a circulating commemorative €2 coin celebrating explorer Juan Sebastian Elcano and the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the Earth.

Elcano completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth in the ship Victoria on the Ferdinand Magellan expedition to the Spice Islands. Elcano was born in 1486 or 1487 and lived until 1526.

His success in the Spice Islands journey led to another large expedition, this time headed by nobleman, García Jofre de Loaisa, but that mission was not successful, and Elcano died on the Pacific Ocean during it.

An image of Elcano in period clothing appears on the obverse of the coin, with lines in the background indicating the latitude and longitude markings of a globe.

In total, 1 million coins are due for release in late March.

About €2 coins

The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring. The €2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

The outer ring obverse depicts the 12 stars of the European flag. The common reverse shows a map of the European Union.

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations issue the maximum number of designs.

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