Coin | Silver Three Ounces 2023 Lord of the Rings - Argonath |
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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, or are based on the troy ounce - for example, three ounces of silver (abbreviated as 3 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).
This coin is part of a New Zealand Mint series dedicated to characters and themes from The Lord of the Rings books and films, and features the Argonath.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings, the Argonath were built in the Third Age between 1248 and 1250 under the 19th King of Gondor, King Rómendacil II. They are two enormous statues of the kings Isildur and Anárion, which stand on the right and left side of the Anduin. Carved from the stone of the rocky gorge, the pillars of the kings shape the entrance to the lake Nen Hithoel. With blind eyes and cracked foreheads, the Argonath look menacingly toward the north. At the same time, the two statues each stretch out their left hand, palm outward, defensively forward. The Fellowship of the Ring passes through the Argonath on February 25th, 3019 of the Third Age on its journey to Mordor. |
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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 TEN DOLLARS. Around below, the date of issue 2023. |
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Reverse | |
The reverse of the coin features a view of the Argonath, also known as the Gates of Argonath or Pillars of Kings, as described in The Lord of the Rings.
Around above, the copyright acknowledgement © & TM New Line Production Inc. (s23) followed by the precious metal content: 3 oz 999 Fine Silver (three troy ounces of 99.9% silver). |
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Reverse Inscription |
© & TM New Line Production Inc. (s23) 3 oz 999 Fine Silver |
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Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | Finish: antique. Packaging: in themed display box, with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. |
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See also |
Coins in the Lord of the Rings Classic series issued for Niue include: - 1/4 oz Gold, Sauron, 2021 - 1 oz Silver Gold Plated, Sauron, 2021 - 1/4 oz Gold, Gandalf, 2021 - 1 oz Silver Coloured, Gandalf, 2021 - 1/4 oz Gold, Frodo Baggins, 2021 - 1 oz Silver Coloured, Frodo Baggins, 2021 - 1/4 oz Gold, Aragorn, 2021 - 1 oz Silver Coloured, Aragorn, 2021 - 1/4 oz Gold, Legolas, 2021 - 1 oz Silver Coloured, Legolas, 2021 - 1/4 oz Gold, Samwise Gamgee, 2021 - 1 oz Silver Coloured, Samwise Gamgee, 2021 - 1/4 oz Gold, Gimli, 2022 - 1 oz Silver Coloured, Gimli, 2022 - 1/4 Gold, Gollum, 2022 - 1 oz Silver Coloured, Gollum, 2022 - 1/4 Gold, The Shire, 2022 - 3 oz Silver Antique, The Shire, 2022 - 1 oz Silver Antique, The Shire, 2022 - 1/4 Gold, Rivendell, 2022 - 3 oz Silver Antique, Rivendell, 2022 - 1 oz Silver Antique, Rivendell, 2022 - 1/4 Gold, Helm's Deep, 2022 - 3 oz Silver Antique, Helm's Deep, 2022 - 1 oz Silver Antique, Helm's Deep, 2022 - 1/4 Gold, Mount Doom, 2022 - 3 oz Silver Antique, Mount Doom, 2022 - 1 oz Silver Antique, Mount Doom, 2022 - 1 oz Gold Bullion, Sauron, 2023 - 1 oz Silver Bullion, Sauron, 2023 - 1/4 Gold, Mordor, 2023 - 3 oz Silver Antique, Mordor, 2023 - 1 oz Silver Antique, Mordor, 2023 - 1/4 Gold, Argonath, 2023 - 3 oz Silver Antique, Argonath, 2023 - 1 oz Silver Antique, Argonath, 2023
Coins with a Lord of the Rings theme issued for Niue in 2023: - 1 oz Gold Bullion, Sauron - 1/4 oz Gold, Mordor - 1/4 oz Gold, Argonath - 3 oz Silver Antique, Mordor - 3 oz Silver Antique, Argonath - 1 oz Silver Bullion, Sauron - 1 oz Silver Antique, Mordor - 1 oz Silver Antique, Argonath - 1 oz Silver Coloured Rectangle (Poster), The Hobbit - 1 oz Silver Coloured Rectangle (Poster), The Desolation of Smaug - 1 oz Silver Coloured Rectangle (Poster), The Battle of the Five Armies
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