REPUBLIC OF CUBA
THREE CERTIFIED GOLD 100 PESO COINS
COMMEMORATING CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS' SHIPS THAT DISCOVERED CUBA: THE NIÑA, THE PINTA AND THE SANTA MARIA
ALL COINS CERTIFIED BY NGC
COMMON OBVERSE: NATIONAL ARMS WITH DENOMINATION BENEATH.
REVERSES: DEPICTION OF ONE OF THE THREE SAILING SHIPS WITH NAME BENEATH; DATE, KEY & STAR MINT MARKS.
EACH COIN CONTAINS 12 GRAMS OF 917 FINE GOLD
0.3538 OZ AGW EACH (1.062 OZ AGW TOTAL)
ONLY 2,000 MINTED!
THE FLEET OF COLUMBUS’ FIRST TRANSATLANTIC VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY IN 1492 WAS COMPRISED OF THE THREE FAMOUS SHIPS, NIÑA, PINTA, AND SANTA MARIA.
THERE IS A LEGEND THAT QUEEN ISABELLA HELPED FUND THE VOYAGE WITH A NECKLACE GIVEN HER BY HER HUSBAND, KING FERDINAND. THE TRUTH IS THAT IT WAS BACKED BY A CONSORTIUM OF SEVEN NOBLE GENOVESE BANKERS LIVING IN SEVILLE, WITH TIES TO AMERIGO VESPUCCI AND THE DE MEDICI BANKING FAMILY.
CUBA WAS THE FIRST LARGE ISLAND TO BE DISCOVERED BY COLUMBUS. AFTER FIRST HAVING FOUND QUITE A FEW SMALLER ISLANDS IN WHAT IS NOW THE BAHAMAS, COLUMBUS LANDED ON THE NORTHERN COAST OF CUBA ON OCTOBER 28, 1492. HE CLAIMED THE ISLAND FOR SPAIN, AND NAMED IT ISLA JUANA, AFTER THE ONLY SON OF FERDINAND AND ISABELLA, JUAN, PRINCE OF ASTURIAS. THE NAME CUBA COMES FROM THE LANGUAGE OF THE NATIVE INHABITANTS, THE TAÍNO.
AFTER RECONNOITERING DEEP INTO THE ISLAND'S INTERIOR, COLUMBUS THEN EXPLORED THE NORTHERN COAST OF HISPANIOLA.
THE SANTA MARIA WAS COLUMBUS’ FLAGSHIP OF THE EXPEDITION, AND LARGEST OF THE TRHEE SHIPS. BUILT IN THE PROVINCE OF GALLICIA, SHE WAS ORIGINALLY NAMED “LA GALLEGA (THE GALLICIAN)”, AND WAS RENAMED BY COLUMBUS “LA SANTA MARÍA DE LA INMACULADA CONCEPCIÓN”, WHICH MEANS “HOLY MARY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION”. IT WAS A CARRACK, A SLOW AND WIDE MERCHANT VESSEL, A LITTLE OVER 100 FEET IN LENGTH AND AROUND 100 TONS, WITH FORECASTLE, RAISED STERN AND THREE MASTS. THE 32 YEAR OLD VESSEL WAS OWNED BY JUAN de la COSA, WHO WAS ALSO FIRST MATE, AND RENTED BY COLUMBUS, WHO WAS SHIP’S CAPTAIN AND ADMIRAL OF THE SMALL FLEET.
ON THE RETURN TRIP, ON DECEMBER 24, 1492, THE SHIP WAS CARRIED BY CURRENTS ONTO A SANDBANK, AND RAN AGROUND OFF WHAT IS NOW HAITI. SANTA MARIA HAD TO BE ABANDONED, AND SANK ON CHRISTMAS DAY. SALVAGED TIMBERS WERE USED TO BUILD A FORT, LEAVING BEHIND 39 MEN WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE LOCAL NATIVE CHIEFTAIN. UPON HIS RETURN ON THE NEXT VOYAGE, NONE OF THESE MEN WOULD BE FOUND ALIVE.
ON JANUARY 15, 1493, COLUMBUS WOULD SAIL HOME ABOARD THE NIÑA.
LA PINTA (TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH “THE PAINTED ONE”, “THE SPOTTED ONE” OR “THE LOOK”) WAS THE FASTEST OF THE THREE SHIPS OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS’ FLEET. IT WAS A CARAVEL OF AROUND 60 TONS, ABOUT 56 FEET LONG AND 18 FEET WIDE. IT HAD A CREW OF 26 MEN AND WAS UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN MARTÍN ALONZO PINZÓN. PINZÓN’S BROTHER, FRANCISCO WAS THE FIRST MATE, AND THEIR YOUNGER BROTHER, VICENTE, WAS CAPTAIN OF THE NIÑA.
THE ORIGINAL NAME OF THE PINTA IS NOT KNOWN, THE NAME “PINTA” IS A NICKNAME.
THE NEW WORLD WAS FIRST SIGHTED BY SAILOR RODRIGO de TRIANA ABOARD THE PINTA AT 2 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING, ON OCTOBER 12, 1492. THE LAND SPOTTED WAS AN ISLAND SOMEWHERE IN THE BAHAMAS.
16 DAYS LATER, COLUMBUS LANDED IN CUBA, WHILE THE PINTA’S CAPTAIN TOOK THE SHIP ON AN UNAUTHORIZED EXPEDITION IN SEARCH OF AN ISLAND THE NATIVES HAD TOLD HIM WAS RICH IN GOLD.
AFTER COLUMBUS’ LANDING ON HISPANIOLA, AND THE ABANDONMENT OF THE SANTA MARIA, COLUMBUS HEADED FOR SPAIN ON THE NIÑA, HAVING BEEN REJOINED BY THE PINTA. A STORM SEPARATED THE SHIPS ON THE RETURN VOYAGE. THE PINTA REACHED SPAIN ON MARCH 1, 1492.
LA NIÑA, THE SMALLEST OF THE FLEET, WAS CAPTAINED BY VICENTE AÑES PINZÓN, BROTHER OF MARTÍN PINZÓN. ALSO A NICKNAME, LA NIÑA (THE GIRL), WAS ACTUALLY NAMED SANTA CLARA. SHE WAS A STANDARD SMALL CARAVEL TRADE SHIP, AND COLUMBUS’ FAVORITE OF THE THREE VESSELS. NIÑA WAS AROUND 50 FEET LONG, AND BETWEEN 50-60 TONS. THE CREW, ABOUT 24 IN NUMBER, SLEPT ON DECK BEFORE ADOPTING HAMMOCKS THAT THEY HAD SEEN THE ISLAND NATIVES USE.
IN SEPTEMBER OF 1493, LA NIÑA WAS A PART OF A GRANDER FLEET OF 17 SHIPS ON THE SECOND VOYAGE TO HISPANIOLA, AS WELL AS FLAGSHIP OF AN EXPLORATORY MISSION TO CUBA. A HURRICANE STRUCK IN 1495, AND THE SMALL SHIP WAS THE ONLY ONE TO SURVIVE, AFTERWHICH, SHE RETURNED TO SPAIN IN 1496.
WHILE ON AN UNAUTHORIZED VOYAGE TO ROME, SHE WAS CAPTURED BY PIRATES, AND TOWED TO SARDINIA. THE THEN CAPTAIN, ALONSO MEDEL, ALONG WITH SEVERAL SAILORS, ESCAPED, ROWED TO THEIR SHIP IN A STOLEN BOAT, AND SAILED BACK IN THE NIÑA TO SPAIN.
IN 1498 THE SHIP WAS PART OF COLUMBUS’ THIRD VOYAGE, AND AFTER A TRADING EXPEDITION TO VENEZUELA IN 1501, SHE DISSAPEARS FROM THE RECORDS.
