Silver Ounce 2021 King Arthur - Excalibur, 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 second silver coin in the the Czech Mint four-part miniseries inspired by the legend of King Arthur commemorates the story of the Lady of the Lake and the sword named Excalibur.

Two legendary blades, which are often confused, are associated with Arthur's fate. The first is known as the sword in the stone. Legend says that this weapon was struck in a rock, from which only the true heir to the throne could free it according to the prophecy of the wizard Merlin. A series of noble lords tried in vain; however, the simple squire Arthur, who had no idea of his noble origins, succeeded.

When King Arthur broke his sword in battle with King Pellinor, Merlin led him to the Lady of the Lake. This fairy gave Arthur a new sword, which provided his owner with extraordinary power - it made him an invincible warrior and an indisputable king of all the British. A miraculous blade called Excalibur served Arthur faithfully for a long time and helped him to overthrow his fateful sock Mordred in the battle of Camlann. However, the king himself was mortally wounded, and since no one else was worthy of holding his legendary weapon, it was returned to the lake.

The medal maker Asamat Baltaev, DiS., who is the author of the coin, depicted the Lake Lady, who emerges from the water and passes Excalibur to Arthur on the reverse side. Following the previous coin of the cycle, a cross is drawn in the background, which in combination with the circular circumference of the coin refers to the Celtic-Christian origin of the legend.