Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 2 Euro 2015, KM# 849, Portugal, 500th Anniversary of the First Contact With Timor
  • 2 Euro 2015, KM# 849, Portugal, 500th Anniversary of the First Contact With Timor
Description

The coin celebrates the 500th Anniversary since first Contact with Timor.

Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor, on the eastern part, and Indonesia, on the western part.

The first Europeans to arrive in the area were the Portuguese, who landed near modern Pante Macassar. These Portuguese were traders that arrived between 1509 and 1511. However, it was only in 1556 a group of Dominican friars established their missionary work in the area. By the seventeenth century the village of Lifau - known today as Oecussi enclave - became the centre of Portuguese activities. At this time, Portuguese began to convert the Timorese to Catholicism. Since 1642, military expedition led by the Portuguese Francisco Fernandes took place. The aim of this expedition was to weaken the power of the Timor kings and even as this expedition was comprised by the Topasses, the 'Black Portuguese', it succeeded to extend the Portuguese influence into the interior of the country. In 1702 the territory officially became a Portuguese colony, known as Portuguese Timor, when Lisbon sent its first governor, with Lifau as its capital then it was moved from to Dili in 1769.

Obverse

Depicts a 16th-century ship, representing the arrival of the Portuguese navigators to the island, and a local house thatched rooftop, including the typical wood sculptures, permanent memories of myths and legends. It represents the history of the first inhabitants, who arrived by boat from other parts of the Asian continent and the importance of the horse to travel around the steep mountains which cover most of the island. At the top right, the year ‘1515’ and the name of the issuing country ‘PORTUGAL’. At the bottom left, the inscription ‘TIMOR’ and the year ‘2015’. At the bottom, the signature of the artist Fernando Fonseca. The coin's outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

1515 PORTUGAL
TIMOR 2015
INCM

Reverse

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

12 stars are located on the right side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “O” in “EURO.”

2 EURO
LL

Edge

The edge design features the seven castles and five coats of arms also found on the national side, all equally spaced

2 Euro

500th Anniversary of the First Contact With Timor

KM# 849
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Bi-Metallic
Ring Cupronickel
Center Nickel Brass
Weight 8.5 g
Diameter 25.75 mm
Thickness 2.2 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Portuguese Mint and Official Printing Office (INCM)

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