MARTINIQUE

SILVER PROOF COIN

 

Martinique, an island in the Caribbean, was discovered in 1502 by Columbus. It has been a French possession since 1635.  It is the home of Mt. Pelee, whose eruption in 1902 claimed some 40,000 lives. The silver 1/4 Euro has a portrait of French medalist Louis Oscar Roty.  The reverse features a vignette from Roty's 1892 medal, "Electricity".