Silver Ounce 2014 Hawksbill Turtle, Proof, Coin from Niue - detailed information

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 various animals.

This coin is part of a New Zealand Mint series of silver coins featuring a Hawksbill Turtle, and is a proof variety of the bullion range with a different reverse design.

The coin depicts a Hawksbill (or "Taku") Turtle, with a stylised shell pattern swimming through the waters of the Pacific Ocean, along with an engraved name, metal quality and weight. The Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata bissa), or locally named Taku, is one of two main turtle species of the South Pacific. Although they have a wide distribution throughout the world's tropical regions, Hawksbill turtles are considered critically endangered due to human fishing practices.