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 - including this very large five ounces of silver format (abbreviated as 5 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).
According tor the Chinese Zodiac, the year 2018 was the "Year of the Dog". The legend says that one day Buddha called all the animals to him, but only twelve answered his call: a rat appeared first, followed by a buffalo, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog, and finally a pig.
This partially gilded coin is dedicated to the eleventh Chinese zodiac sign, the dog. The coin was minted from 999 silver in proof quality. |
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The obverse of the coin shows at its centre the crowned bust of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a pearl necklace, facing right (her effigy known as the "Third Portrait", by Raphael David Maklouf).
The designer's initials are usually incuse in tiny letters on the neck truncation when this portrait is used, but they are not displayed here.
Around above, the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the face value: ELIZABETH II · NIUE 2018 · 8 DOLLARS. Around below, the precious metal content: · 5 OZ 999 SILVER · (five troy ounces of 99.9% silver). |
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