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 coin is part of a Mint of Poland series featuring the Chinese Lunar Calendar and is dedicated to the 2015 Year of the Goat.
The Mint says about it: "Unique charm - a coin created for people born in the Year of the Goat. It is also a perfect gift suitable for countless other occasions accompanying the Year of the Goat. This silver coin is rich in symbols of prosperity, success, happiness and fortune. The Goat is the embodiment of fertility and abundance. Gold on the bells symbolizes wealth. Not without significance is the number of bells - seven, which in many mythologies was the attribute of the gods. Nowadays the number seven is a symbol of excellence, luck and happiness. The magic of this unconventional charm will surround you and your dear ones every day!
The Chinese calendar consists of 12-year cycles, each corresponding to one of the 12 animals , that according to a legend, were the only animals that came to bid farewell to Buddha, when he left Earth. As a reward, he called the consecutive years after the animals in the same order in which they appeared to pay him tribute. The Goat occupies the eighth position in the Chinese zodiac. People born in the Years of the Goat are friendly, natural and predictable. The Year of the Goat lasts from February 19th 2015 till February 7th 2016." |