2011 2 Euro Commemorative Fernao Mendes Pinto

Denomination –  2 Euros
Country –  Portugal
Year –  2011
Head Of State – Prime Minister Pedro Manuel Mamede Passos Coelho
Mint – Lisbon (Imprensa Nacional – Casa da Moeda)
Obverse – This issue celebrates the 500th Anniversary of the birth of Portuguese explorer and writer Fernão Mendes Pinto.Fernão Mendes Pinto (1511—1583) was a Portuguese adventurer and author of the Peregrinação (The Travels of Mendes Pinto), a literary masterpiece depicting the impression made on a European by Asian civilization, notably that of China, in the 16th century. Pinto went to India in 1537 and later claimed to have traveled, fought, and traded in almost every part of Asia during the next 21 years and also to have experienced drastic reversals of fortune, having been made “13 times a prisoner and 17 a slave.”
Reverse – The reverse (used from 2007 onwards) was designed by Luc Luycx and displays a map of Europe, not including Iceland and cutting off, in a semi-circle, at the Bosporus, north through the middle of Ukraine and Belarus and through northern Scandinavia. Cyprus is located further west than it should be and Malta is shown disproportionally large so it appears on the map. The map has numerous indentations giving an appearance of geography rather than a flat design. Six fine lines cut across the map except where there is landmass and have a star at each end – reflecting the twelve stars on the flags of Europe. Across the map is the word EURO, and a large number 2 appears to the left hand side of the coin. The designer’s initials, LL, appear next to Cyprus. Luc Luycx designed the original coin, which was much the same except the design was only of the then 15 members in their entirety and showing border and no geographic features. The map was less detailed and the lines the stars were upon cut through where there would be landmass in eastern Europe if it were shown.
Metal – BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring Cupronickel (75% copper – 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass
Condition – Uncirculated
Creator – Luc Luycx (Reverse)
Edge – Five coats of arms and seven castles equally spaced
Mintage – 520,000
Diameter  –  25,70 mm
Weight – 8,52 gr
Interesting Facts – Extremely low mintage quantity for a euro coin. Over the years the value is expected to rise. The characteristics of these coins were approved by Executive Order No 253/2011, published in the Official Gazette, Series I – No 121 of 27 June 2011 and Executive Order No 185/2011, published in the Official Gazette, Series I – No 88 of 6 May 2011.
Value – Taken from several coin websites at (12/1/2012)