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 design is the first release in an APMEX series featuring Muhammad Ali.
APMEX says about it: Muhammad Ali is widely considered the greatest boxer of all time. As an athlete, he shook up the world with his skill, his grace, his passion and his wit. He achieved three world heavyweight boxing championships and had an incredible 57-5 record. As a humanitarian, he was an outspoken fighter and tireless advocate for religious and civil rights. He was a conscientious objector who took his battle to the Supreme Court and won. As a champion, his devotion to promoting respect, hope and understanding has inspired and helped people around the world achieve their own greatness.
Amid all of the turmoil in the world, we’d do well to remember Muhammad Ali. Not only the "Greatest Of All Time" in the ring, he was one of the most inspiring voices - ascending to global iconic status to people of all colours throughout the world. Muhammad Ali transcends sports, culture and time. He forced society to confront feelings about civil rights, race, religion and war through his defiance of convention and his own government. The three-time heavyweight champion of the world won many battles in and outside the ring. Ali’s life illustrates the important role a champion can have in tough times. Ali stunned the world with his dazzling fists, outrageous footwork, audacious rhymes, and passion for life, but above all else, his adherence to principle made him a cultural icon and one of the most beloved sporting figures of all time. But that is only half the tale. Deeply spiritual and complex, Ali was a man ahead of his time, giving new meaning to the word "courage" and forever changing the concept of what makes a champion. |
Obverse | |
The obverse of the coin features the official Public Seal of Niue.
It has an inner circle of hiapo designs, representing the fonua (land), within which are stylised designs of a tree, representing life and tagata Niue (the people of Niue), surrounded by an outer circle in the form of a traditional Niuean garland of 14 seashells (representing the 14 villages of Niue), and crowned with St Edward's Crown (of the United Kingdom), representing the sovereign as head of state.
Around above between the two circles, the inscription PUBLIC SEAL OF NIUE. Below, a ribbon carries the motto ATUA NIUE TUKULAGI on two lines (meaning "God, Niue Eternally"), below which two crossed katoua (Niue fighting clubs).
Around above, the face value TWO DOLLARS. Around below, the date of issue 2023.
The emblem and inscriptions are small and are in the upper half of the obverse. The lower half represents a silhouette of a boxing ring.
In small letters around below, the precious metal content: 1 OZ .999 FINE AG (one troy ounce of 99.9% silver; Ag is abbreviated from Argentum, the Latin word for silver). |
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