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 have a Zodiac-inspired theme.
This rectangular silver ounce coin featuring the sign Libra is part of a twelve-coin series dedicated to the Signs of the Zodiac and illustrated, in full colour, with drawings by famed Japanese artist Yutaka Kagaya.
Yutaka Kagaya is a modern Japanese artist who creates artworks featuring universe, galactic, the blue planet, humankind dreams and yearnings as a part of the universe.
The symbol of this sign is gold scales, so the main purpose of Libra is to achieve a balance in everything. They are often in a state of hesitation, when they have to make a decision. Libra's character is made up of equal parts of kindness, gentleness, fairness, clear argumentation, stubborn refusal to capitulate, philosophical logic and indecision. Many of people will describe Libra as all beauty and love and sweetness and light with an amazing smile that makes them hard to resist. |
| Obverse | |
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At its centre, the obverse of the coin shows the crowned bust of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a pearl necklace, facing right (her effigy known as the "Third Portrait").
Incuse in tiny letters on the neck truncation are the designer's initials RDM (for Raphael David Maklouf).
On two lines above, the monarch's legend: ELIZABETH II NIUE. On two lines below, the face value and the precious metal content: 2 DOLLARS 1 oz 999 SILVER (one troy ounce of 99.9% silver).
The rim around the portrait is wide, and contains the zodiacal symbols for the twelve Signs of the Zodiac; below, the date of issue 2011. |
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| Reverse | |
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Featured on the reverse of the coin in full colour is Themis, the goddess of justice, and her ascension to the Heavens. After the other gods left the Earth and went back to the heavens, the young goddess of justice stayed there alone to reassure people. But no one listened to her... Themis then threw her immortality up into the sky and changed herself into the stars of the Scale constellation, asking and showing what is right and what is wrong.
Above, Ζυγός (Zygos); in the exergue below, LIBRA - the name of the sign in Greek and Latin respectively.
Also shown below are the symbol ♎︎ and the dates which the sign represents - SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22. |
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