Australia - Famous Naval Battles - The Battle of Salamis 480BC Silver Proof Coin

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Famous Naval Battles - The Battle of Salamis 480BC, a 2010 silver proof coin from Australia.

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Issued by the Perth Mint as legal tender under the authority of the Government of the Cook Islands, this 2010 silver proof coin commemorates the Battle of Salamis 480 BC, the first great naval battle recorded in history. It shows a trireme, a fast and agile warship used by ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean between the 7th and 4th centuries BC. The design also includes the inscription BATTLE OF SALAMIS 480BC, The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, and a colored section depicting a battle scene.

A pivotal encounter of Greco-Persian Wars in the 5th century BC, the Battle of Salamis resulted in an improbable victory for the vastly outnumbered ships of the Greek alliance. Greek commander Themistocles devised a brilliant strategy that lured the large Persian fleet into the narrow strait between the island of Salamis and the Athenian port-city of Piraeus. Here the Greek triremes attacked furiously, ramming and boarding the tightly-packed formation of Persian ships which had difficulty turning in the restricted channel. Estimates put Greek losses as low as 40 ships out of a total of 380. The much larger Persian fleet suffered greatly, however, losing hundreds of ships during the battle. In the aftermath of Salamis, further decisive Greek victories at Plataea and Mycale effectively ended the invasion plans of Persia’s King Xerxes.

Following in the footsteps of the successful Famous Battles in History series, this new program comprises five coins each struck from 1oz of 99.9% pure silver in proof quality. As well as Salamis, the design themes reflect avid interest in the Battles of Trafalgar, Hampton Roads, Jutland and Midway, all remembered for their landmark contribution to the history of naval warfare.

Includes Capsule, Official Case, Individually-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity, and Illustrated Box.