Silver Ounce 2020 Czech Lion, 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 coins under the authority of Niue. Most of these are commemorative and collector issues 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). Those issued at prices much higher than their bullion value are separately listed in the Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) silver ounce section of the site.

Unlike them, this coin is targeted at bullion investors and was initially released at a price close to the value of its precious metal content.

This coin is part of the "Czech Lion" series of gold and silver coins, minted since 2017. World bullion coins are often dedicated to national symbols, therefore the "Czech Lion", which is the first issue of its kind intended for the Czech market, is not an exception. The weight of this silver coin by the Czech Mint is one troy ounce.

The Mint says about it:
Every Czech knows that a two-tailed lion is the dominant heraldic animal of the Czech Republic. But how did this exotic beast get into the emblem of a country situated in the heart of Europe? The legend of Bruncvík, the mythical prince, who left his beloved woman and set out in the world to seek honour and glory, provides a hint. When he was shipwrecked in far Africa, he helped the animal king to fight the beast. Since then the grateful lion followed him, they experienced many adventures and won a miracle sword. Bruncvík returned to the Czech lands after seven long years and fought for the heart of his beloved one. They lived happily until death, and immortalised the faithful lion on the banner.

Old chroniclers offer more plausible explanations, but they like to colour their stories, so you can find a number of discrepancies there. The first truly documented Czech lion was a symbol of the Přemyslid dynasty and appeared on the equestrian seal of Vladislav Henry in 1203. The lion became the national symbol during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia, the Iron and Golden King.

The Czech Mint reworked all variants of investment coins in 2020, but the main idea remained. In addition to the Czech lion in a not-traditionally realistic presentation, the reverse side of the gold coin presents two more symbols of Czech statehood - the St Wenceslas crown on the head of a two-tailed beast, and an eagle on the shield, which is a synthesis of the St Wenceslas, Moravian and Silesian birds of prey.