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 silver bullion coin is part of a European Mint range featuring symbols of the British Isles, and pays tribute to Hibernia - the female personification of Ireland.
The concept of Hibernia as a personification of Ireland dates back to classical times. The term “Hibernia” itself is derived from the Latin word for Ireland, “Hibernia,” which was used by ancient Roman writers to refer to the island. Over time, this personification evolved into a symbolic representation of Ireland, often depicted as a female figure. |