2019-03-13 Wed

To celebrate the 145th birth anniversary of a great explorer named Sir Ernest Shackleton, and the 115th Anniversary of Shackleton being awarded the Royal Geographical Society Silver Medal, Pobjoy Mint released a new coin for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The original silver medal’s design has been recreated on the new coin. It depicts an Antarctic scene with people sledging, the ship and a sledge. Penguins and seals are shown in the background. The obverse side depicts a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Both the Proof Sterling Silver version and the Cu-Ni version have a diameter of 38.60 millimetres and weigh 28.28 grams. The silver coin has a mintage limit of 2,000 pieces while the Cu-Ni version has a mintage limit of 10,000 pieces. The Proof Sterling Silver coin comes in an acrylic capsule, placed in a red box with a Certificate of Authenticity, while the Cupro Nickel coin comes in a blue presentation pouch.

Sir Ernest Shackleton was a very curious boy who wanted to explore the world. In 1890, he left school at the age of 16 and joined Merchant Navy. In 1901, he was selected to be a part of Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Expedition. Their ship left the shores of England on 31st July 1901 and it was considered as the first big British exploration of the Antarctic for 60 years.

However, Shackleton was sent home early as he fell ill. Nevertheless, he received the Royal Geographical Society Silver Medal for being a part of the expedition. He is remembered for fearlessly rescuing his crew members when their ship Endurance sank during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1915. The expedition consisted of an open boat journey across the Southern Ocean and dangerous crossing of South Georgia. Over the years, Sir Ernest Shackleton earned his name as one of the world’s greatest explorers.

Image Courtesy: Pobjoy Mint