Arrgggh Matey! It El Draque, the Dragon!
Every year here at Geocaching HQ we celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th) and the pirates who inspired it.
The latest in our pirate series is once again from celebrated designer Christian Mackey and has a very detailed and intricate design that features Sir Drake and an impressive Antique Silver finish.
The coin is approximately 2 inches across. It is trackable at Geocaching.com with a unique icon.
Here are some design notes from Christian Mackey:
On the face side is the Dragon’s ship, the “Golden Hind” under sail as it finishes it’s circumnavigation of the globe. He was the first man in history to circumnavigate the globe as captain from start to finish and only this ship survived. His use of the wyvern symbol was a hotly contested issue that resulted in his being given a knightship and personal crest by the queen, but even after this altercation at court, he would continue to use the wyvern quarted with his bestowed fess wavy and pole-stars as his seal.
On the reverse side is his actual personal coat of arms (bestowed by Queen Elizabeth in 1697) inset in a compass rose with his personal motto “Sic Parvis Magna” which means translated literally, is: “Thus great things from small things (come)” overhead and Auxilio Divino “With Divine Help” below the crest at the base of the coin.
Drake is kind of the epitome of the classic pirate. He is an agent of a foreign government and a knight set on a quest to vanquish the enemy ships in the name of the crown. These pirates were called Privateers and operated under actual government authority following rules of war (usually). He was a daring and successful and was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He was wildly popular among his own people and wildly feared by his Spanish enemies who referred to him as El Draque (The Dragon). He carried a price on his head equivalent in today’s terms of about $6.5 million dead or alive if he could be brought before King Philip II of Spain.
