5 Escudos 1968 Portugal

This 1968 5 Escudos coin from Portugal features a caravel on its reverse, directly referencing the ships that carried Portuguese explorers across uncharted oceans.

That design choice, simple and functional, nods to the Age of Discovery without the usual romantic fluff. The obverse bears the national coat of arms, struck in cupro-nickel like most escudos of the era. Mintage figures? They're murky; official records from that period are spotty, possibly lost in bureaucratic reshuffles.

I've seen plenty of these in collections, often overlooked amid flashier commemoratives. They circulated widely, which meant they got handled—a lot. As for myths about hidden treasures on board those caravels, let's just say I've debunked enough already.