| Coin | Gold Ounce 2023 Icons of Inspiration - Marie Curie |
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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 sixth release in the Icons of Inspiration series by APMEX and features Marie Curie.
Marie Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (1867 - 1934) was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner of her first Nobel Prize, making them the first-ever married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.
She was born in Warsaw, in what was then the Kingdom of Poland, part of the Russian Empire. She studied at Warsaw's clandestine Flying University and began her practical scientific training in Warsaw. In 1891, aged 24, she followed her elder sister Bronisława to study in Paris, where she earned her higher degrees and conducted her subsequent scientific work. In 1895 she married the French physicist Pierre Curie, and she shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with him and with the physicist Henri Becquerel for their pioneering work developing the theory of "radioactivity" - a term she coined. Marie won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements polonium and radium, using techniques she invented for isolating radioactive isotopes. |
| Mint | APMEX |
Mint Mark | No mint mark |
Total Mintage | 100 |
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| Obverse | |
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Within a beaded border, the reverse features a triumphant image of a muse, arm extended toward the sun, with the (unofficial) seal of the nation of Niue held in her left hand.
The seal has what looks like a plant arrangement at centre, within a double ornamental circle, itself surrounded by a circle of sea shells. This is crowned with St Edward's Crown (of the United Kingdom). Around above between the two, the inscription PUBLIC SEAL OF NIUE. Below that, a ribbon carries the motto ATUA NIUE TUKULAGI on two lines, below which two crossed katoua (Niue fighting clubs).
On two lines to the left, the face value of the coin: 250 DOLLARS. Below, the date of issue 2023. These are also inscribed in the circle with the Public Seal of Niue.
In small letters above the date, the designer's initials JI (for Joel Iskowitz).
Around above, twenty-two five-pointed stars; below the last of them, the engraver's monogram EA (for Emerson Abraham).
Around left, the precious metal content: 1 TROY OZ .9999 GOLD. |
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse design features Marie Curie observing a vial inscribed with Ra, the chemical symbol for radium, to one side of her with lines radiating out from it. Her signature, M. Curie, is shown below her portrait. In the right field, a representation of an atom model.
Below left, on the sleeve of her dress, the designer's initials JI (for Joel Iskowitz). |
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| Reverse Inscription |
M. Curie |
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| Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Finish: bullion (Brilliant Uncirculated).
Packaging: in display box, with numbered Certificate of Authenticity. On the first 10, the certificate is signed by the designer.
Date of issue: 7 February 2023.
Issue price: US$ 2,150.90 (US$ 2,450.90 with signed certificate). |
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| See also |
Coins in the Icons of Inspiration series include:
- 1 oz Gold, Galileo, 2021
- 1 oz Silver, Galileo, 2021
- 1 oz Gold, Leonardo da Vinci, 2021
- 1 oz Silver, Leonardo da Vinci, 2021
- 1 oz Gold, Sir Isaac Newton, 2022
- 1 oz Silver, Sir Isaac Newton, 2022
- 1 oz Gold, Albert Einstein, 2022
- 1 oz Silver, Albert Einstein, 2022
- 1 oz Gold, Wright Brothers, 2022
- 1 oz Silver, Wright Brothers, 2022
- 1 oz Gold, Marie Curie, 2023
- 1 oz Silver, Marie Curie, 2023
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