Silver Ounce 2023 Dog Breeds - German Boxer, 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 various animals.

This coin is part of the Dog Breeds series of coloured silver coins by the Czech Mint, and features the German Boxer.

The mint says about it:
In the Middle Ages, the dog breed known as the Brabant Bullhound was popular among hunters. They used it to hunt larger animals such as pigs, deer, and also bears. The characteristic feature of the Bullhound was its wide jaws with a lower overbite. Thanks to its powerful mouth, it was able to bite firmly into the hunted prey and hold it in place until the arrival of its master, who struck it down.

The hunters had to be careful, however, because the bullhound's cunning and aggression were dangerous to humans. It is hard to imagine that this creature was a direct ancestor of the German Boxer, which is synonymous with the family dog. The change in nature was brought about by the advent of firearms, which completely changed the way we hunt. The bullhound became redundant, and its crossbreeding with other breeds - the bulldog and the Great Dane - produced a dog that remained muscular and fearless, but at the same time calm and composed, with a holy patience and never attacking without reason.

During the First World War, Boxers became military dogs - they searched for the wounded among the fallen, carried messages and guarded the trenches. After World War II, soldiers returning home from Germany spread them around the world. Today, they are popular pets who love their family - especially children.