Gold Five Kilos 2021 Czech Lion, Coin from Niue - detailed information

The obverse of the coin shows the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). The Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary (Her Majesty's grandmother) in 1947 - which she also has on the Machin and the Gottwald portraits.

In small letters below the head, the artist's initials IRB (for Ian Rank-Broadley).

Around the effigy is the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the value: ELIZABETH II · NIUE ISLAND · 40000 DOLLARS · 2021.

The effigy and legend are in a small circle in the centre of the obverse. The wide rim around it has a relief pattern of a "flaming eagle" on a shield, representing Moravia and Silesia, two of the three historical Czech lands represented on the Coat of Arms of the Czech Republic (the outlines of the two eagles are identical, they only differ in colour, which is not shown on the coin).

In the margin above left, the precious metal content: 5 kg Au 999.9 (five kilograms of 99.99% gold; Au is abbreviated from "Aurum", the Latin word for gold).

In the lower right, the mint mark of the Czech Mint - a crowned monogram of the letters ČM (Česká mincovna).

The reverse of the coin represents a realistic depiction of a lion's head, crowned with the crown of St Wenceslas (Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia between 921 and 935).

Around left, facing outward, the inscription ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA (Czech Republic).

In the lower right, the designer's monogram is overlaid on the lion's mane.

Below right, a sprig of linden - the Czech national tree. Above that, a shield shaped hologram displaying a latent image of a lion's head.

Finish: standard (Brilliant Uncirculated), with hologram.
Packaging: in protective capsule and metal case, with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
Date of issue: May 2021
Product Code: 76030-650
Issue price: 6,809,223 CZK, 269,032.90 EUR

The Mint says:
The hologram on the reverse is both a decoration and a security measure. Named "CZECH SECURITY CHECK" by the mint, it has the shape of a shield placed below right on the reverse side of the coin. When illuminated at a certain angle, a hidden "moving" figure appears in the shield. The hologram is made by the highly specialised Czech company IQ Structures, which ranks among the world's leaders in the field of holographic technologies.

At the Czech Mint we mint these massive coins using a special hydraulic press, which was designed expressly for that purpose. It is the only machine of its kind in the world. No other press has the same configuration or technical parameters. Due to its size and considerable mass, we had to construct a special workspace. The production process for heavyweight coins is not basically different from the process used to manufacture their smaller siblings, although everything involved is, of course, bigger, heavier and more demanding. While an ordinary die may weigh about 500 grams, the dies used in the manufacture of these record-breaking coins can weigh dozens of kilograms, and it takes several days to manufacture one of these tools. The forces used in the minting of these gigantic coins are astronomical - in fact, the pressure exerted by the coin press is the equivalent of a couple thousand stacked cars.

The coin is housed in a special protective box. Inside the package you will also find an exceptional regional gift - a carafe and two glasses for fine spirits. This unique set made from Czech cut-glass, which will help you to celebrate your investment, was designed to resemble the Crown of Saint Wenceslas. It was created for the Czech Mint by Rony Plesl, an iconic glass-maker who comes from Jablonec nad Nisou, the home town of the Czech Mint.