Forty Ducats 2014 Sigismund of Luxembourg, Coin from Niue - detailed information

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:
Sigismund was the last member of the House of Luxembourg on the Czech throne who closed the grand chapter of the noted family of rulers. This controversial personality of the Czech history has its opponents as well as defendants. For his undisputed historical importance that cannot be denied he was chosen to be portrayed on a special gold coin issued by the Czech Mint.

Sigismund of Luxembourg, son of Charles IV and Elizabeth of Pomerania, became titular King of Bohemia in 1419, after the death of his brother Wenceslas IV. He inherited diplomatic skills from his father and he applied them especially to tackle the split within Catholic Church. Three men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope and Sigismund succeeded to push through the election of one of them at the Council of Constance in 1414. There he also - more or less - contributed to the condemnation of Jan Hus to death by not providing him with the promised support. During the Hussite wars, the followers of this movement did not recognise Sigismund’s coronation and an agreement was reached only after many years of exhausting wars. Sigismund of Luxembourg died one year after having been accepted as King of Bohemia. With his death in 1437, the last male descendent of the House of Luxembourg died.