In search of fortune and fame
These were the voyages reserved for the privileged few; to sail across unknown seas to discover new, uncharted lands. Commissioned by kings, led by the learned and fuelled by the brawn and courage of seafaring men, wooden vessels strikingly small and primitive compared to transportation modes of today, challenged the open seas in search of fortune and fame.

In 1534, François I commissioned Jacques Cartier to go to the New World to find gold and a passage to Asia; an expedition that was destined to write a milestone chapter in Canadian history.

Cartier was not the first. Others had come before , including Breton and Basque fishermen who were already frequenting theGulf of St. Lawrence where Cartier has headed. But unlike his predecessors, Cartier engaged First Nations people extensively in trade, his journals providing the first detailed accounts of early encounters between these two vastly different worlds.

Cartier's trusted ships brought his expedition along the Labrador coast in the Strait of Belle Isle, down the western shore of Newfoundland to Miramichi and Chaleur Bays, and back to the Gaspé coast.

During his travels, Cartier interacted with the Micmac, Stadacona andIroquois people. They were captivated by the knives, beads, combs andother iron goods the explorer traded, and the sheer size and seeming luxury of his floating fortresses must have left a powerful impressionon the people Cartier welcomed aboard. Indeed, it was Cartier's voyage of 1534 that brought the first Iroquoian men across the AtlanticOcean to experience the wonders of France first hand.

475TH ANNIVERSARY OF JACQUES CARTIER'S ARRIVAL - 2009 CANADIAN COINS is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 02- FINE SILVER and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.