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.
The Crocodile and Shark coin is the fourth and final design in the Apex Predators Collection, and features the two apex predators of the sea - the great white shark and the saltwater crocodile.
The Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is probably the most famous and also the most feared sea creature in the world. The apex predator prefers mainly temperate coastal waters and has a jaw with up to 300 teeth in several rows. Just as deadly as it is well known is the fearsome saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). It is the largest reptile on earth and can live up to 70 years. Not only does it look dangerous, about half of the crocodile attacks on humans are due to the saltwater crocodile. It prefers the tropical regions of Australia, Asia and the Pacific, but it has also been spotted far from land at sea. |