Christopher Columbus is widely credited with the discovery of America in the modern age. Though historians may disagree, and evidence suggests intimate knowledge of the American continent existed long before Columbus – it doesn’t matter. Columbus is symbolic of America’s founding mythology, evidenced by Columbus’ name’s integration into American culture. CC is also integral to the Dollar’s formation. The $ Dollar sign is rumoured to be derived from the Pillars of Hercules (two vertical lines), wrapped in a banner (S). Ferdinand II of Aragon adopted the symbol of the Pillars of Hercules with the Latin phrase “Non Plus Ultra” – “nothing further beyond”. Christopher Columbus, upon arriving in America, changed the phrase to “Plus Ultra” – meaning ‘further beyond’. The Pillars of Hercules wrapped in the new banner thus became a symbol of the New World. When we think of cryptocurrency, we consider it nothing more than “further beyond” – breaking new ground. What a perfect way to encapsulate the innovation of reserve status cryptocurrency.

Though Christopher Columbus has been featured on US coinage, and a historical scene on a banknote, this is the FIRST TIME a bust portrait of CC has been proposed for dollar-based paper currency. The design also features stars, microtext, and the Santa Maria boat. The design retains some of the recognisable features of the US Dollar – the traditional layout, the guilloche border, and archaic typeface. This is combined with bolder colours, and larger, user-friendly numbers.