Cape Verde 100 Escudos

The Cape Verde 100 escudos is a modern bi-metallic circulation coin from the Republic of Cape Verde (Cabo Verde), an island nation off the coast of West Africa. It pairs an outer ring of one base-metal color with an inner disc of a contrasting silver color, a two-tone construction typical of higher-value circulation coins of the late 20th century.

As seen on this coin, the central silver-colored disc carries a botanical motif of Aeonium gorgoneum, a succulent plant native to the Cape Verde islands, framed by inscriptions running around the rim. The design belongs to a well-known Cape Verdean series that devoted individual coins to the country's distinctive plants and animals rather than to a single portrait or emblem.

It is a coin meant for everyday commerce, struck in ordinary alloys rather than precious metal, and it circulated as one of the larger everyday denominations of the escudo system.

Cape Verde, a former Portuguese territory, became independent in 1975 and adopted the Cape Verdean escudo as its national currency, continuing the escudo unit inherited from the colonial period. Over the following decades the country issued its own distinct coinage in the name of the Republic.

In the mid-1990s Cape Verde released a widely recognized circulation series celebrating the natural heritage of the islands, with different denominations featuring native plants, birds, ships, and marine life. The bi-metallic 100 escudos with the Aeonium gorgoneum plant belongs to this nature-themed program, which gave the country's everyday coins an unusually varied and thematic look.

The escudo remains the currency of Cape Verde and, in the modern era, has been linked at a fixed rate to the Portuguese escudo and subsequently to the euro. Coins of this era were produced for general circulation, so surviving examples are relatively common and were made in substantial numbers rather than as limited collector strikes.

Start with the construction and the plant. This coin is bi-metallic, with a ring of one color surrounding a silver-colored center, and the central disc shows a botanical motif of the succulent Aeonium gorgoneum. Legends run around the rim identifying Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) and the value. The presence of a detailed plant image inside a two-tone coin is the fastest way to place it within the country's nature series.

Confirm the denomination by the numeral 100 and the word ESCUDOS in the inscriptions. Because the same series used bi-metallic and single-metal formats across several values, matching both the number and the plant subject helps separate the 100 escudos from lower denominations that show birds, ships, or other flora.

The reverse is not shown on this example, but Cape Verdean coins of the period typically carry the national name, coat of arms or emblem, and the year of issue on the opposite face. Look there to read the exact date, which fixes the coin within the 1990s series.

The bi-metallic 100 escudos is a modern circulation coin, and ordinary worn examples are worth a modest amount, generally a small multiple of face value as inexpensive world coinage. It is collectible mainly for its attractive botanical design and two-tone construction rather than for scarcity or metal content.

Condition is the main driver of any premium. Uncirculated or lightly handled pieces with full luster and sharp detail on the plant motif bring more than heavily circulated coins, and complete sets of the nature-themed series can appeal to topical and world-coin collectors. Even so, values typically remain in the low single-digit to few-dollar range.

Because these coins are not rare, treat any figure as a general guide. Check the exact year on the reverse and compare against recent world-coin listings, since specific dates and grades can differ modestly in what they command.