Coin | Silver Ounce 2011 Pirates of the Caribbean - Henry Avery |
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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 - typically, one ounce of silver (abbreviated as 1 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). Many of these feature characters and themes from popular culture.
This coloured silver ounce coin was issued as part of a four-coin themed set, and features the famous pirate Henry Avery.
The Mint says about it: "Have you ever seen the real Caribbean pirates? Now you’ve got the exceptional possibility to own a set of .999 silver proof coins each bearing the most famous pirates of the Caribbean. Most of the pirates of the classic piracy era (1700-1730s) in the Caribbean were of English, Dutch and French origin.
The obverse of each of the four Niue coins carries the effigy of Her Majesty Elizabeth II surrounded by the inscriptions denoting the Queen’s name, the face value of the silver coin and the name of the issuing country. The year of issue is also indicated at the bottom of the pirate coins.
The reverse design of the silver coins features the colored images of Caribbean pirates Edward Teach or Blackbeard, Calico Jack Rackham, Henry Avery and Bartholomew Roberts. The images are supplemented with two outstanding pirate symbols: two swords and a skull with crossbones.
Piracy was known to flourish in the Caribbean because of the existence of pirate seaports such as Port Royal in Jamaica, Tortuga in Haiti, and Nassau in the Bahamas." |
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Obverse | |
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, the monarch's legend and the face value: ELIZABETH II · NIUE · TWO DOLLARS. Below, the date of issue 2011. |
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Reverse | |
The reverse of the coin shows a coloured artist's impression of the famous pirate Henry Every/Avery, with a parrot on his shoulder. On two lines in a ribbon above, the inscription REAL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Around left and right, two curved swords. Below, under a skull and crossed bones symbol, HENRY AVERY.
Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (born 20 August 1659, died after 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. Dubbed "The Arch Pirate" and "The King of Pirates" by contemporaries, Every was infamous for being one of few major pirate captains to escape with his loot without being arrested or killed in battle, and for being the perpetrator of what has been called the most profitable act of piracy in history. Although Every's career as a pirate lasted only two years, his exploits captured the public's imagination, inspired others to take up piracy, and spawned works of literature.
Every's most famous raid was on a 25-ship convoy of Grand Mughal vessels making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, including the treasure-laden Ghanjah dhow Ganj-i-sawai and its escort, Fateh Muhammed. Joining forces with several pirate vessels, Every found himself in command of a small pirate squadron, and they were able to capture up to £600,000 in precious metals and jewels, making him the richest pirate in the world.
This caused considerable damage to England's fragile relations with the Mughals, and a combined bounty of £1,000 an immense sum at the time was offered by the Privy Council and the East India Company for his capture, leading to the first worldwide manhunt in recorded history. Every eluded capture, vanishing from all records in 1696; his whereabouts and activities after this period are unknown. Unconfirmed accounts state he may have changed his name and retired, quietly living out the rest of his life in either Britain or on an unidentified tropical island. He is considered to have died anywhere between 1699 and 1714; his treasure has never been recovered. |
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Reverse Inscription |
REAL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN HENRY AVERY |
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Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | Finish: proof, coloured (pad printing). Packaging: in four-coin set in wooden "pirate chest", accompanied by a skull and crossbones pendant necklace, with numbered Certificate of Authenticity. |
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Included in Set |
Real Pirates of the Caribbean, mintage 8,000 4 coins: 1 oz Silver, Calico Jack, 2011, 1 oz Silver, Blackbeard, 2011, 1 oz Silver, Bartholomew Roberts, 2011, 1 oz Silver, Henry Avery, 2011
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