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 a quarter ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1/4 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum).
This coin is part of a four coin series by the Czech Mint marking the 700th anniversary of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia (Bohemia later evolved into the modern state of Czechia); it is dedicated to the achievements of Charles IV (called Karel IV. in Czech) and features his coronation as King of the Romans.
The Mint says about the coin:
History has brought to our country a number of important scholars, artists and politicians. However, one of the great Czechs towers over the others even after centuries. It is King Charles IV, whose 700th birth anniversary we commemorate this year. He was a Roman Emperor, Margrave of Moravia, Count of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia, Italy and Burgundy, as well as Roman-German king. The latter of these titles he received exactly 670 years ago.
The election of Charles IV as the new king of the Holy Roman Empire took place in Rhens on the Rhine 11. 7. 1346. His election was supported by the papal curia, headed by Clement VI, a former teacher of Charles IV. The existing Roman Emperor and King Louis IV Bavor, who was against interfering of the Church into the state affairs, was no longer able to stand against the election. The coronation of Charles IV, however, had to be postponed due to the death of his father, John of Luxembourg, who had died in the Battle of Crecy. The new ruler of the Kingdom of the Czechs, King Charles IV, was crowned the Roman-German ruler on 26 November 1346 in Bonn. It was another step on the way to his later election of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. |
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In the upper half of the obverse, the coin shows 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. There are no designer's initials below the effigy.
The Queen's legend, ELIZABETH II· NIUE ISLAND is around above left and right. On two lines below left, the face value 10 DOLLARS; below right, the date of issue 2016.
The lower half of the obverse has a decorative geometric pattern, below which the mint mark of the Czech Mint - a crowned monogram of the letters ČM (Česká mincovna). |
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