Silver Ounce 2021 King Arthur - Guinevere and Lancelot, 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.

The third silver coin in the the Czech Mint four-part miniseries inspired by the legend of King Arthur commemorates the story of Guinevere and Lancelot.

Arthur's legendary comrades-in-arms were the knights who sat with him at a round table where all were equal. They included the valiant Gawain, the pure Galahad, the treacherous Mordred and the loyal Lancelot. The first task the king gave Lancelot was to bring him the sprightly Ginevra (Guinevere), who was Arthur's promised bride. The task looked easy, but as soon as the knight saw his future queen, he fell in love with her. Ginevra returned his feelings, but her commitment to her betrothed was stronger. Lancelot then tried to forget his love in his many adventures, but in vain.

When Queen Ginevra was kidnapped by Arthur's enemy Maleagant, Lancelot besieged his castle and rescued his lady. Although both were deeply devoted to Arthur, they could no longer resist the love that flared between them after this event. When Arthur learned of their betrayal, he declared war on Lancelot. Taking advantage of the chaos, Mordred declared himself the new King of England and clashed with Arthur in a battle that cost them their lives...

Ginevra and Lancelot suffered from feeling of guilt and decided to retire. The queen gave up her crown and became a nun, the knight gave up his arms and lived the rest of his life as a hermit.