Gold Ounce 2021 Wonders of the World - Hanging Gardens of Babylon, 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. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - such as one ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum).

This coin is part of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World series by the Czech Mint, and depicts the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

The mint says about it:
There are several legends about how the Hanging Gardens of Babylon came into being. It is possible that they were built by the mythical Semiramis, the queen who made Babylon the largest and most magnificent metropolis of antiquity. Another legend claims that they were a gift from King Nebuchadnezzar II to Queen Amytis, who longed for the mountainous nature of her homeland. Delicate flowers and massive trees grew on the stepped terraces of the hanging gardens that rose high into the sky. This was made possible by an ingenious irrigation system consisting of an extensive network of pipes, high wells and spiral pumps, through which workers constantly drew water from the Euphrates. The gardens provided a cool refuge from the scorching heat of the Babylonian sun and were therefore visited by many people. However, few records of them survive - it is not even certain that an earthly paradise in the middle of the desert really existed.