Silver Three Kilos 2022 Czech Lion, 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 based on the troy ounce, but some are in the metric system and go to the very large size of three kilograms (3 kg) of silver.

This coin is part of the Czech Lion series of bullion coins issued every year by the Czech Mint with a new design.

The Mint says about it:
World bullion coins tend to be dedicated to strong national symbols, and the Czech Lion - the first coin of its kind to be minted for the Czech market - is no exception.

The weight of this silver coin, which is minted in top-quality proof and which bears a unique security hologram, is three kilograms. In the Middle Ages, when all coins were made of precious metals, mint masters feared counterfeiters who imitated their work to enrich themselves. Indeed, the penalties were severe at the time and most of the criminals died. Although it is highly unlikely that anyone would attempt to counterfeit contemporary coins, the Czech Mint has come up with innovative solutions. The Czech Mint's latest security solution is a security feature named CZECH SECURITY CHECK. It is an embossed hologram in the shape of a shield placed at the bottom of the reverse side of the coin. This hologram is not only a protective but also a decorative element. Like the coin itself, it is dedicated to the depiction of the Czech lion by medal maker Asamat Baltaev. You do not need any specialised equipment to see the CZECH SECURITY CHECK - it is visible to the naked eye. Furthermore, you can examine it with simple, commonly available tools - a magnifying glass and a sharp spot light provided by, for example, a lit flash of a mobile phone. When illuminated from a certain angle, a hidden "moving" pattern will appear in the shield. While it is very easy to observe a holographic shield, it is extremely difficult to produce it and it cannot be easily replicated. The hologram was produced by the highly specialised Czech company IQ Structures, which is one of the world leaders in holographic technology. It is also extremely technologically demanding to emboss the hologram in precious metal so that all its special effects - kinetic or colour - are preserved.

The design of all coins in the series was changed in 2022, but the main idea remains the same. The reverse side is dominated by the Czech lion in an unusually realistic rendition with the St. Wenceslas crown on its head. The embossed hologram is an integral part of the reverse. The obverse side presents the eagle, which is a synthesis of the St. Wenceslas, Moravian and Silesian birds of prey.