One Dollar Silver 2020 Fabergé - Tsarevich Constellation Egg, 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, 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 Tsarevich Constellation 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 Constellation Egg is one of two Easter eggs designed under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé in 1917, for the last Tsar of Russia. It was the last Imperial Fabergé egg designed. This outstanding Easter gift for Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna was intended to mark the birth of Tsarevich Alexei. The jewel was made of engraved cobalt glass featuring the constellation of Leo - the Zodiac sign of the heir to the Russian throne. According to the project, the surface of the egg was intended to be decorated with miniature diamonds shimmering like stars in the sky, and framed with a silver ring. There is a clock inserted into the egg. Regretfully, the gift has not been accomplished due to the Russian Revolution of 1917.