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 Seven Wonders of the Ancient World series by the Czech Mint, and depicts the Colossus of Rhodes.
The mint says about it:
The island of Rhodes lies off the coast of Asia Minor. In ancient mythology, it was the chosen land of the god Helios, who raised it from the bottom of the sea. The locals were fabulously wealthy, culturally advanced and also very religious. Because they held their sun deity in high esteem, they erected an unprecedented monument in the form of a gigantic statue to him to thank you for his help in fighting the Greek invaders. The so-called Colossus of Rhodes was created by the sculptor Chares of Lindus, a pupil of Lysippus himself, from thirteen tons of bronze and eight tons of iron. An embankment was gradually built up around the structure and the material was carried up a spiral ramp. The construction lasted approximately twelve years, and in each year the statue grew by three metres.
Today, no one knows exactly what the final work looked like. Some scholars believe that Helios stood straddling two opposite quays of the harbour, so that ships wishing to dock in Lindos had to undercut it. More likely, however, is that the statue stood at the edge of the city. Whatever the reddish-brown giant looked like, he had only been impressing sailors for sixty-six years. Then, in a massive earthquake, it broke at the knees and crashed into the sea. "Even lying still, he was a miracle," wrote the historian Pliny. The sophistication of the ancient builders is evidenced by the fact that the Statue of Liberty, which was built two thousand years later, has the same design as the ancient wonder of the world. |
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The obverse of the coin features the (unofficial) "Public Seal of Niue". It 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 (a symbol of the United Kingdom, the monarch of which is ultimately the Head of State of Niue).
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).
The seal 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, the face value and date of issue: 50 DOLLARS 2023.
Near the rim below left, the mint mark of the Czech Mint - a crowned monogram of the letters ČM (Česká mincovna). |
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