Portugal 200 escudos 1991 - Garcia de Orta

The coin's story

This bimetallic 200 escudos coin, with a cupronickel centre and an aluminium-bronze ring, honours the physician and naturalist Garcia de Orta, born around 1500 and died in Goa in 1568. Having arrived in India in 1534, he studied the plants and remedies of the region there. His Colóquios dos simples e drogas da Índia, finished printing in Goa on 10 April 1563, take the form of dialogues with an imaginary colleague, Ruano. They are often regarded as the first detailed description, by a European author, of the botanical, pharmaceutical and medical products of the Indian subcontinent. Both sides are the work of José Cândido, and the type was struck from 1991 to 2001. The 1991 date, the first, has 33,000,000 pieces for circulation. The coin ceased to be legal tender on 28 February 2002, after the changeover to the euro.