Forty Ducats 2011 General Peřina, Coin from Niue - detailed information

Forty Ducats 2011 General Peřina, Coin from Niue
CoinForty Ducats 2011 General Peřina

Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.

A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative and collector coins under the authority of Niue. One of them is the Czech Mint, which uses not only standard bullion sizes but also some formats based on the Czech Gold Ducat, including 40 Ducats weighing a massive 139.5 grams.

The coins are "Non-Circulating Legal Tender" (NCLT) and not bullion because they are issued at prices much higher than their bullion value and are targeted at collectors who appreciate them for their artistic or sentimental value, and not at bullion investors.

The Mint says about this coin:
Wing commander general František Peřina, Czech war hero, was born on 8 April 1911 in Morkůvky near Břeclav. During WW2 he became a famous fighter pilot nicknamed General Heaven. After qualifying as a machinist he joined the Czechoslovak Air Force and between 1929-1931 studied at the Military Aviation School in Prostějov. After graduation he served at Olomouc where he ranked among the Czechoslovak fighter elite - thanks to his outstanding pilot achievements. In 1937, he represented Czechoslovakia at the 4th International Air Show in Zurich. In June 1939 he fled from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia to Poland and, at the end of July, he sailed to France where he joined the French Foreign Legion.

Following the outbreak of WW2 he re-qualified in Chartres to aircraft Curtiss Hawk H. 75 C. 1. and in December 1939 was assigned to Groupe de Chasse I/5 where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant at the proposal of captain A. Vašátko. On 3 June he was shot down in an air combat near Paris. After various events and experiences he managed to return to his unit and then to get through Africa to Great Britain. There he joined the 312th (Czechoslovak) RAF Squadron. Peřina took part in the battle for Britain and then was transferred with his squadron to Liverpool to escort ship convoys and bombers operating above France and Germany.

The most difficult period in Peřina’s life came after the victory of the communists in the elections in February 1948. With the help of a friend he managed to emigrate together with his wife in a sports aircraft Sokol in April 1949. All three of them flew to Germany and landed in the American zone. After several years in the British RAF Peřina and his wife moved to Canada and then to the USA. Peřina returned to the Czech Republic in 1993. President Václav Havel awarded him the highest state order - The Order of the White Lion - for excellence in combat.

General Peřina died on 6 May 2006, at the age of 95. His wife, Anna Peřinová-Klimešová, who had been imprisoned during the war by the Nazis, died just a few weeks before him.

MintCzech Mint Mint MarkMonogram ČM Total Mintage400
Obverse
Niue / Forty Ducats 2011 General Peřina - obverse photo

The obverse of the coin shows at its centre the crowned bust of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a pearl necklace, facing right (her effigy known as the "Third Portrait", by Raphael David Maklouf).

The designer's initials are usually incuse in tiny letters on the neck truncation when this portrait is used, but they are not displayed here.

Below the portrait and to the left, the mint mark of the Czech Mint - a crowned monogram of the letters ČM (Česká mincovna).

Around, the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the face value: ELIZABETH II 2011 NIUE ISLAND · 100 DOLLARS ·. The date is surrounded by two small fighter bombers from WW2 in outline.

Obverse Inscription ELIZABETH II 2011 NIUE ISLAND · 100 DOLLARS ·
Reverse
Niue / Forty Ducats 2011 General Peřina - reverse photo

The reverse of the coin shows the portrait of young František Peřina in flight costume, with the emblem of RAF below left, and the emblem of 312th Squadron above right, showing the inscription (CZECHOSLOVAK) SQUADRON 312 312 ROYAL AIR FORCE and the motto NON MULTI SED MULTA on a ribbon below.

Around above, · GENERAL PEŘINA ·. Around below, LEGENDARY FIGHTER PILOT IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN.

Reverse Inscription · GENERAL PEŘINA · LEGENDARY FIGHTER PILOT IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
EdgePlainEdge InscriptionNone
Notes

Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated.
Date of issue: November 2011
Czech Mint Product Code: 75003-611

See also

In 2017, František Peřina was also featured on a gold quarter-ounce and a silver half-ounce coins.

Advertising
Royal Mint
Royal Mint
Forty Ducats 2011 General Peřina: Details
CountryNiue
CurrencyNiue Dollar
Coin TypeGold Forty Ducats (139.5 g)
Issued2011
MonarchQueen Elizabeth II
EffigyQueen Elizabeth II - Third Portrait, by Raphael Maklouf
Face Value100 (x Dollar)
Total Mintage400
CurrentYes
Material0.9999 Gold
DesignerMiroslav Schovanec
TechnologyMilled (machine-made)
ShapeRound
OrientationMedal Alignment (Axis 0)
Size50.000 mm
Mass139.500 g
OCC IDWMRA-OQPC-RLRD-EYPL
Share or Bookmark this Page
Forty Ducats 2011 General Peřina: Photos
ImageDetails
Coin, Niue, Gold Five Ounces 2011 General Perina
Copyright: Czech Mint
Source
Coin, Niue, Gold Five Ounces 2011 General Perina
Copyright: Czech Mint
Source