Gold Ounce 2021 Icons of Inspiration - Galileo, 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 the first issue in the Icons of Inspiration series by APMEX and is dedicated to Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician Galileo.

The coin was designed by renowned coin designer Joel Iskowitz and features an image of the astronomer and physicist with a telescope. In the foreground, a globe and the moon are depicted. Below his portrait is the signature of the famous scientist.

Galileo Galilei's observations supported the heliocentric view of the solar system, which Nicolaus Copernicus had also previously advocated. Although Galileo was able to prove his theses with the help of his scientific research, they were initially suppressed because they contradicted the world view taught by the church. It was not until 1757 - long after his death on January 8, 1642 - that Galileo Galilei's teachings were recognised. In addition to astronomy, Galileo also made numerous discoveries in the field of physics - including the laws of motion, which are still fundamental to modern kinematics."