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 Thor.
The mint says about it:
The highest god of the Nordic pantheon is Odin, but his son Thor was the most popular among the ancient Germans and Vikings. No wonder - while Odin is a noble and sophisticated politician, Thor is a simple and straightforward man, which is why he was much closer and more sympathetic to the common people. The hulking man with red hair and a beard in braids was renowned as an invincible warrior. In his battles with giants and other evils, he has superhuman strength and courage, as well as the hammer Mjöllni, which he can hurl with unerring accuracy in the form of lightning. The magical weapon, which always comes back to hand, is so heavy that only Thór and his son Magni can lift it.
When the fighting has stopped, the warrior becomes a peasant and his deadly hammer is transformed into a life-giving plough. In addition to thunder and lightning, Thor also oversees rain, crops and fertility. He is the guardian and executor of justice, protects blacksmiths, sailors, fishermen and peasants, and blesses newlyweds. |
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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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