| Coin | One Dollar Silver 2012 Fabergé - Kremlin Egg |
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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, bullion and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself.
Some coins are marketed in standard bullion sizes, like half ounce silver, one ounce silver etc, and some of those are also denominated as $1, for which see respective lists. This coin, denominated as One Niue Dollar, is not in a standard ounce-based size and is made using a "smartminting" technique - meaning that it has features not generally found in circulation coins.
This coin is part of a series of coins dedicated to the famous Fabergé eggs, and depicts the Imperial Kremlin egg.
A Fabergé egg (Russian: Яйца Фаберже́) is a jewelled egg created by the House of Fabergé, in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire. Possibly as many as sixty-nine were created, of which fifty-seven survive today. Virtually all were manufactured under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917, the most famous being the fifty-two "Imperial" eggs, forty-six of which survive, made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers. Thanks to the exuberance, intricacy and splendour of decoration, Fabergé Eggs have gained a huge popularity as jewellery masterpieces.
The Uspenski Cathedral egg or Moscow Kremlin egg was made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1906 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. It is currently held in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow, and it is one of the few imperial Fabergé eggs that have never left Russia.
The coin is in Proof quality, with a stone insert. It comes boxed, with a Certificate of Authenticity. |
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse of the coin depicts the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait", by Ian Rank-Broadley). 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. The designer's initials are not shown.
Below the neck truncation and over the I of ELIZABETH, the small MW mint mark of the Mint of Poland (m over W), for Mennica Warszawska (Mint of Warsaw).
The effigy is small and is in the upper half of the design, surrounded by a decorative neo-rococo scroll ornament. Horizontally below, ELIZABETH II. Around above, the rest of the legend: NIUE ISLAND.
The lower half of the design shows an open Fabergé egg with a basket of flowers inside (the "Spring Flowers" egg).
Around left, facing outward, the face value and denomination: 1 DOLLAR. Around right, similarly facing out, the date of issue 2012.
Around below right, the hallmark Ag 925 (92.5% silver, also known as Sterling Silver; "Ag" is abbreviated from Argentum, the Latin word for silver, and is internationally used to mark silver coins and jewellery). |
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| Reverse | |
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Within a plain rim, the reverse of the coin shows the Imperial Kremlin Egg made in 1906. Commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II, it was an Easter gift to his wife, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna.
The Moscow Kremlin egg is by far the largest of the Fabergé eggs and was inspired by the architecture of the Dormition Cathedral, Moscow (Uspenski) in Moscow. This cathedral was where all the Tsars of Russia were crowned, including Nicholas II himself. The cathedral dome (in white opalescent vitreous enamel) is removable, and the remarkably crafted interior of the church can be seen. Its carpets, tiny enameled icons and high altar on an oval glass plate are made visible through four triple windows, surmounted by a gold cupola and flanked by two square, two circular stylized turrets, the former based on the Spassky Tower. The tower bears the coat of arms of the Russian Empire and the coat of arms of Moscow, inset with chiming clocks. It stands on a crenellated gold base and octagonal white onyx plinth designed as a pyramid, and built of more smaller pyramids.
Inset in the coin is a yellow Swarovski crystal.
Around above, interrupted by the egg design, the inscription Imperial Fabergé Eggs. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
Imperial Fabergé Eggs |
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| Edge | Plain | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Included in Set |
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Imperial Fabergé Egg Series Proof Silver Set, mintage unknown, limited to 9,999
9 coins: Coronation Egg, Rosebud Egg, Swan Egg, Cockerel Egg, Lily Bouquet Egg, Winter Egg, Order of St George Egg, Napoleonic Egg, Kremlin Egg
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| See also |
Coins in the Imperial Fabergé Eggs series include (ordered by metal / size / year):
- 10 oz Gold, Coronation Egg, 2012
- 10 oz Gold, Moscow Kremlin Egg, 2014
- 3 oz Gold, Coronation Egg, 2010
- 3 oz Gold, Lilies of the Valley Egg, 2011
- 3 oz Gold, Clover Leaf Egg, 2011
- 3 oz Gold, Pansy Egg, 2012
- 3 oz Gold, Duchess of Marlborough Egg, 2012
- 3 oz Gold, Bay Tree Egg, 2012
- 3 oz Gold, Napoleonic Egg, 2012
- 3 oz Gold, Moscow Kremlin Egg, 2013
- 1 oz Gold, Coronation Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Coronation Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Order of St George Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Rosebud Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Moscow Kremlin Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Cockerel Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Swan Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Winter Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Lily Bouquet Egg, 2012
- $5 Gold, Napoleonic Egg, 2013
- $5 Gold, Caucasus Egg, 2015
- 250 g Silver, Coronation Egg, 2012
- 250 g Silver, Third Imperial Egg, 2015
- 2 oz Silver, Coronation Egg, 2010
- 2 oz Silver, Lilies of the Valley Egg, 2010
- 2 oz Silver, Clover Leaf Egg, 2010
- 2 oz Silver, Pansy Egg, 2011
- 2 oz Silver, Duchess of Marlborough Egg, 2011
- 2 oz Silver, Bay Tree Egg, 2012
- 2 oz Silver, Napoleonic Egg, 2012
- 2 oz Silver, Moscow Kremlin Egg, 2013
- 2 oz Silver, Trans-Siberian Railway Egg, 2014
- 2 oz Silver, Tsarevich Constellation Egg, 2018
- 2 oz Silver, Diamond Trellis Egg, 2019
- 2 oz Silver, Pelican Egg, 2021
- 2 oz Silver, Mosaic Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Coronation Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Rosebud Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Swan Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Cockerel Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Lily Bouquet Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Winter Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Order of St George Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Napoleonic Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Moscow Kremlin Egg, 2012
- $1 Silver, Alexander Palace Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Peacock Egg, 2017
- $1 Silver, Fifteenth Anniversary Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Resurrection Egg, 2017
- $1 Silver, Third Imperial Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Royal Danish Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Caucasus Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Trans-Siberian Railway Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Catherine the Great Egg, 2018
- $1 Silver, Peter the Great Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Mosaic Egg, 2018
- $1 Silver, Standart Yacht Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Pelican Egg, 2018
- $1 Silver, Gatchina Palace Egg, 2015
- $1 Silver, Romanov Tercentenary Egg, 2018
- $1 Silver, Blue Serpent Clock Egg, 2018
- $1 Silver, Empire Nephrite Egg, 2020
- $1 Silver, Pansy Egg, 2020
- $1 Silver, Red Cross Egg (with icons), 2020
- $1 Silver, Steel Military Egg, 2020
- $1 Silver, Rose Trellis Egg, 2020
- $1 Silver, Colonnade Egg, 2020
- $1 Silver, Duchess of Marlborough Egg, 2020
- $1 Silver, Tsarevich Constellation Egg, 2020
- $1 Silver, Twelve Panel Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Blue Striped Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Revolving Miniatures Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Tsarevitch Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Pinecone Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Twelve Monograms Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Red Cross Egg (with portraits), 2021
- $1 Silver, Basket of Flowers Egg, 2021
- $1 Silver, Memory of Azov Egg, 2021
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