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. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes based on the troy ounce, but some are in the metric system and go to the extremely large size of five kilograms (5 kg) of silver.
The coins are "Non-Circulating Legal Tender" (NCLT) and not bullion because they are issued at prices much higher than their bullion value and are targeted at collectors who appreciate them for their artistic or sentimental value, and not at bullion investors.
This coin is part of the Czech Lion series of bullion coins issued every year by the Czech Mint with a new design, and is the first in the 5kg silver size.
The Mint says about it: World bullion coins tend to be dedicated to strong national symbols, and the Czech Lion - the first coin of its kind to be minted for the Czech market - is no exception.
The design of all coins in the series was changed in 2022, but the main idea remains the same. The reverse side is dominated by the Czech lion in an unusually realistic rendition with the St. Wenceslas crown on its head. The embossed hologram is an integral part of the reverse. The obverse side presents the eagle, which is a synthesis of the St. Wenceslas, Moravian and Silesian birds of prey. |