Gold Ounce 2024 Deadly and Dangerous - Bluebottle, 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 Deadly and Dangerous series featuring native Australian animals, and shows the Bluebottle, otherwise known as the Pacific Man-O-War.

The bluebottle is not one animal, but a complex floating colony of four different organisms which rely on predatory tentacles to catch prey. Otherworldly and mesmerising whilst riding the waves, it can deliver a nasty sting, even when washed up on an Australian beach.