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 Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
The mint says about it:
Zeus was the supreme deity of the ancient Greeks. He ruled not only people but also the other gods from the top of Mount Olympus. He sent thunder and lightning to those who displeased him, but he could also love - especially women. Despite his divine power, he was not omniscient or omnipotent, and certainly not infallible. He could be kind, generous and just, but he also had a big ego, was easily angered and vindictive...
The ancient centre of the cult of Zeus was Olympia in the Peloponnese, famous as the birthplace of the Olympic Games and one of the most important city-states of the Greek Empire. When mortals needed the advice of Zeus, they visited the temple, where priests mediated his will. The sanctuary at Olympia, built in the 5th century BC, was truly magnificent. It was one of the largest temples in the world and the central statue of the ruler of the gods sitting on his throne became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. When the artist named Pheidias uncovered it, astonished witnesses asked him whether he had ascended Mount Olympus to see Zeus or whether Zeus had descended from Olympus to show himself. The dull ivory skin contrasted with the shining gold of his hair. The throne of cedar and ebony was covered with scenes from ancient Greek legends. The stunned people had worshipped the majestic Zeus for eight centuries. Then the statue, which was moved to Constantinople, was burned by fanatical Christians who hated pagan idols. |
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The obverse of the coin shows at its centre 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).
The effigy is smaller than usual and is surrounded by a wide rim divided by depictions of Greek columns into eight sectors. Seven of these depict the seven wonders of the ancient world: the Egyptian pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse on the island of Pharos. In the eighth sector below, on five lines the monarch's legend, face value and date of issue: NIUE ISLAND 50 DOLLARS ELIZABETH II 2022.
Near the rim below left, the mint mark of the Czech Mint - a crowned monogram of the letters ČM (Česká mincovna). |
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