Gold Tenth-Ounce 2020 Mythical Creatures - Griffin, 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 a tenth ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1/10 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum).

This coin is part of the Mythical Creatures series of premium bullion coins by the Czech Mint and features the legendary Griffin.

The griffin embodies the features of an eagle and a lion - it is most often depicted with an eagle's head, neck, wings and claws and a lion's torso, hind legs and tail. Its character is also the result of a combination of both of these animals - it is bright and strong, therefore, it rules heaven and earth. In ancient mythology, the griffin served the sun god Apollo, the goddess of wisdom Athena and the goddess of revenge Nemesis. In the Middle Ages, the noble creature was perceived as a symbol of the king of kings - Jesus Christ - and therefore became a grateful subject of aristocratic heraldry.

We can find a griffin on seventy coats of arms in Bohemia and Moravia and it was even one of the shield bearers of the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary. The mythical hybrid of an eagle and a lion dominates the reverse side of the coin which was designed by the medal maker Mária Filová, DiS.