Coin | Gold Tenth-Ounce 2021 Wonders of the World - Great Pyramid of Giza |
---|
|
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 design is the first issue in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World series by the Czech Mint, and depicts the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The mint says about it: The ancient world in the Mediterranean and the Middle East was full of architectural beauty. Some of them dazzled so much that even after thousands of years, we talk about the seven wonders of the world with sacred amazement. The ancient Egyptians believed in the life after death and built magnificent tombs for their pharaohs to allow them to touch the heavens. The Great Pyramid of Giza, which was built for King Khufu two and a half thousand BC, is the largest and most impressive of them. The gigantic pyramid was built of two million stone blocks, each weighing over two tons. The pyramid was 147 meters high, therefore, it was the highest building in the world until the Middle Ages, and each side of its base measured 230 meters. Thousands of stonemasons, carpenters and ordinary workers have worked on it without knowledge of iron and more complex technologies for three decades in order to honour their god. |
Mint | Czech Mint |
Mint Mark | Monogram ČM |
Total Mintage | 1,000 |
|
Obverse | |
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 5 DOLLARS ELIZABETH II 2021.
Near the rim below left, the mint mark of the Czech Mint - a crowned monogram of the letters ČM (Česká mincovna). |
|
|
Reverse | |
The reverse design shows a view towards the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, with another pyramid in the background and the edge of another pyramid in the foreground.
On two lines around below left, the inscription THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA.
The designer's monogram PB (for Petra Brodská) is overlaid on a stone below, near the A of GIZA. |
|
Reverse Inscription |
THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA |
---|
|
Edge | Plain | Edge Inscription | None |
|
Notes | Finish: proof. Czech Mint Product Code: 75929-611 Release date: March 2021. Issue price: 7,490 CZK, 294.00 EUR
200 individually carded coins plus 800 sealed in a special packaging perforated so that ten parts can be conveniently divided if necessary (80 packs of 10 coins each). The ten-pack, product code 76031-611, was issued at 2,058.00 EUR. |
---|
|
See also |
Coins in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World series issued for Niue: - 1 oz Gold, The Great Pyramid of Giza, 2021 - 1/10 oz Gold, The Great Pyramid of Giza, 2021 - 1 oz Gold, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, 2021 - 1/10 oz Gold, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, 2021 - 1 oz Gold, The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, 2022 - 1/10 oz Gold, The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, 2022 - 1 oz Gold, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, 2022 - 1/10 oz Gold, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, 2022 - 1 oz Gold, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, 2022 - 1/10 oz Gold, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, 2022 - 1 oz Gold, The Colossus of Rhodes, 2023 - 1/10 oz Gold, The Colossus of Rhodes, 2023
|
---|
|