Released 7/3/2000

1959 1 crown Bermuda This special crown piece was struck in commemoration of the 350th Anniversary of Bermuda's founding as a British colony. The obverse shows the profile of Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse symbolizes the romantic history of the Bermudas. The two boats appearing above and below the outline of the island chain depict  Bermuda's famous sailing heritage that actually began with a shipwreck. Shown at the top is a design of the famed Bermuda Sloop. Shown at the bottom is Bermuda's Fitted Dinhy. A native cedar vessel, developed over a century ago, it's still raced locally. The discovery of Bermuda is attributed to a Spanish navigator, Juan de Bermúdez, who was shipwrecked here in about 1503. No settlement was established, however, until 1609, when a party of English colonists under the mariner Sir George Somers sailing for Virginia, was also shipwrecked here. In 1968 Bermuda became a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom.