Coin | Silver Five Ounces 2022 Universal Gods - Svarog |
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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. 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).
This silver coin is part of the Universal Gods series by the Czech Mint, and is dedicated to Svarog.
The mint says about it: The ancient Slavs worshipped Svarog as the original celestial creator - the father of all creation. The god of smithing, celestial light, heat and fire forged the Sun and stars in his furnace, but also other gods who were born from red-hot sparks. Our ancestors believed that Svarog was connected to the fire in every human dwelling, therefore, he was also the protector of the family hearth. He was particularly fond of orderly marriage - as the creator of all the laws of human society, he was strict and unforgiving, and demanded fidelity and monogamy from both men and women.
Although he was the very first god of the Slavs, we do not know much about him. Perhaps because, after the arduous work of the creator, he gave way to a younger generation of gods and retired to a well-deserved rest. |
Mint | Czech Mint |
Mint Mark | Monogram ČM |
Total Mintage | 500 |
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Obverse | |
The obverse of the coin shows the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). 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.
In small letters below the head, the artist's initials IRB (for Ian Rank-Broadley).
Around the effigy is the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the value: NIUE ISLAND 10 DOLLARS ELIZABETH II 2022.
On the right, the precious metal content: Ag 999 · 5 oz (five troy ounces of 99.9% silver; Ag is abbreviated from Argentum, the Latin word for silver).
Below the 10 of 10 DOLLARS, the mint mark of the Czech Mint - a crowned monogram of the letters ČM (Česká mincovna), and the monogram of the obverse designer Asamat Baltaev.
The rim features decorative ornaments of Greek, Norse, Slavic, Celtic and Egyptian origin. The obverse side is common to this year's editions of the series. |
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Reverse | |
The reverse design presents presents Svarog in the form of a blacksmith. He is holding two typical attributes - a hammer and the Sun in his hands. The sun disc, which the god forged in the interior of the volcano, takes the form of an ancient pagan symbol - a Slavic wheel. Above Svarog's head can be seen a swarga - his personal emblem, surrounded by intricate ornaments. Decorative Slavic motifs can also be found on the obverse side of the coin.
The mh monogram of the reverse designer Miroslav Hric is in the right field.
In the background, interrupted by the figure of the god, the inscription SVAROG. |
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Reverse Inscription |
SVAROG |
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Edge | Plain | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | Finish: antique. Packaging: in capsule and black paper box, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity in Czech, Slovak and English. Czech Mint Product Code: 76081-713 Date of issue: August 2022 |
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See also |
Coins in the Universal Gods and Goddess series include: - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Zeus, 2020 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Odin, 2020 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Perun, 2020 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Quetzalcóatl, 2020 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Re, 2020 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Goddesses - Aphrodite, 2021 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Goddesses - Frigg, 2021 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Goddesses - Vesna, 2021 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Goddesses - Kali, 2021 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Goddesses - Bastet, 2021 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Apollon, 2022 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Thor, 2022 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Dagda, 2022 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Svarog, 2022 - 5 oz Silver, Universal Gods - Osiris, 2022
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