British Virgin Islands 2007 - 400th Anniversary of the Founding of Jamestown - Unc. Cupro Nickel

2007 celebrated the 400th Anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America and to commemorate this momentous event, the British Virgin Islands Government approved the release of a stunning coin which shows the English Lion and the American Eagle together, to re-iterate the special relationship between the UK and the US. At a striking ceremony at Pobjoy Mint on 31st May 2007, Baroness Thatcher said of this coin “When the British Lion and American Eagle are together, the world is a better place” thus highlighting the sense of unity between these two nations.

In June 1606, King James I granted a charter to a group of London entrepreneurs to establish an English settlement in North America.  On 19th December 1607 settlers sailed from London on three ships, the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery to discover the New World.  The explorers landed on Jamestown Island to establish the Virginia English colony on the banks on the James River.  Only 60 of the original settlers survived the first winter and it was only when the new Governor, Lord De La Ware arrived with supply ships that the colony was put back on its feet.

​To mark this historic anniversary, replicas of the three ships departed from the UK on 19th December 2006 to re-enact the original departure and hope to arrive in Jamestown in May 2007.  Her Majesty the Queen will also pay a State Visit to the United States in May to celebrate the event.