Silver Ounce 2019 Sinbad the Sailor, 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 popular characters from myths, legends and tales.

This coin is part of a New Zealand Mint series dedicated to characters from popular myths and legends and features Sinbad the Sailor.

The story of Sinbad the Sailor is regarded as one of the most famous Arabian Nights tales. The tale tells the story of the adventurous merchant from Basra and of his seven voyages, which takes him to the various corners of the known world. In the premier story, which is itself narrated by Scheherazade, who herself shares one summer night to King Shahriar, the tale is set during the rule of Harun al-Rashid (766 - 809), the fifth Abbasid Caliph, who ruled from 786 to 809. It begins with a wealthy merchant who lived in Baghdad and died, leaving his wealth to his son, whose name was Sinbad. Unfortunately, Sinbad was careless with his money, and before long, he lost everything. Not knowing what to do or where to turn, Sinbad tries his luck at sea, and so, with his pockets empty, he travels to the port of Basra. There he boarded a merchant ship, and within days, he was at sea, going from ocean to ocean. Sinbad proved to be a hard working, excellent sailor and a talented merchant who soon began to dream of making his fortune at sea.

Sinbad is either marooned or shipwrecked after he sets sail from the city of Basra with the merchandise. He is able to overcome the challenges he encounters by employing his own resourcefulness and returns home with a fortune. Sinbad’s journey from prosperity to loss, experienced during a voyage filled with adventure, is repeated in the structure of each of his stories. During his return, Sinbad, now prosperous in turn, hears the prayers of a tired porter, who takes a break to rest on the bench outside a mansion. Sitting on the bench, he complains to Allah that it is not fair that some are so poor and others enjoy luxuries. The owner of the house happens to be Sinbad the Sailor, who tells the porter that he was also poor once and that he became wealthy only by fate and destiny. He then begins the narrative of his own seven voyages that made him rich.