2019 Portugal €2 Coin Issue "Discovery of Madeira & Porto Santo 600 Years"

• Mint: Portuguese Mint
• Denomination: €2
• Quality: UNC/BU/Proof
• Issue limit: 500,000/10,000/10,000
• Alloy: Base Metal
• Diameter: 25.75 mm
• Weight: 8.5 grams
• Design: Julio Pomar
• Box/Capsule: No/No
• Certificate: No (BU & Proof in printed card/sleeve)

Additional Information

Please click here for the official web page in English!

This issue honors the 600th anniversary of the discovery of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo.

It was in July 1419 when this island was first discovered by Portuguese explorers. These two seafarers are Captains João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz. The main reason why the two went on an expedition is because they were following the orders of Prince Henry the Navigator. He called for the best sea navigators and cartographers in all of Portuguese because he wanted to have more information about the West African coast. This was in the early part of the 15th Century.

The ships that the two captains used were the square-rigged ones. Hence, when strong winds started to strike, they got rerouted and were left sailing aimlessly for days. Their supposed exploration of the West African coast made them discover an unmapped land which they named as Porto Santo.

Because of the undoubted richness of the place, colonization was immediately ordered by Prince Henry. It took a year after the discovery of Porto Santo before the bay of Machico was found. This is also the time when the Portuguese explorers were able to uncover the lush forests and rich land of Madeira.