Coin | Silver Two Ounces 2021 The Witcher - Blood of Elves |
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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 - for example, two ounces of silver (abbreviated as 2 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).
The Blood of Elves coin is the third release in the series dedicated to The Witcher, created in cooperation with the famous writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The series is planned to have 8 coins - one coin struck every year, each dedicated to a book from the saga about the Witcher.
Developed by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher follows the character of Geralt of Rivia. Witchers, generally speaking, are beast hunters who are born with special gifts that can be developed into supernatural abilities at a young age. Living on a continent populated by elves and dwarfs now conquered by humans, the story follows Geralt’s adventures through the war-torn Northern Kingdoms. |
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Obverse | |
The obverse of the coin shows the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). The Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary (Her Majesty's grandmother) in 1947 - which she also has on the Machin and the Gottwald portraits.
In small letters below the head, the artist's initials IRB (for Ian Rank-Broadley).
Around the effigy is the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the value: ELIZABETH II NIUE 2021 5 DOLLARS Ag 999.
Around below right, the hallmark Ag 999 (99.9% silver; "Ag" is abbreviated from Argentum, the Latin word for silver, and is internationally used to mark silver coins and jewellery). Below the portrait on the left, the small MW mint mark of the Mint of Poland (m over W), for Mennica Warszawska (Mint of Warsaw).
The effigy and legend are in a small circle on the left. The rest of the surface is taken by an intricate depiction of Gothic arches and decorations featuring roses, a small circle with a squirrel above, a snarling wolf's head below, three swords on the right and a wide decorated rim surround all of this. The symbols in the central circle related to character Elirena - the squirrel in the Gothic medallion and the bushes full of roses refer to her. |
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Reverse | |
The reverse depicts an important scene from Andrzej Sapkowski’s book of the same title. It is an attack of Scoia’tael commando group on a dwarven caravan, which Geralt and Ciri were travelling.
Every detail of the reverse is perfectly visible thanks to the ultra high relief. There is also an addition in the form of selective pink gold, which imitates blood. Another interesting element of the decoration is the wheel, which was handmade from extremely hard wood.
Around above left, the inscription ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI; around above right, BLOOD OF ELVES.
Below, THE WITCHER BOOK SERIES. |
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Reverse Inscription |
ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI BLOOD OF ELVES THE WITCHER BOOK SERIES |
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Edge | Plain, incuse inscribed | Edge Inscription | [serial number] |
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Notes | Finish: antique, Ultra High Relief (UHR), selective gold plating (pink gold), wood insert, edge lettering with unique serial number of each coin. Packaging: boxed, with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Date of issue: February 2022. Issue price: US$ 936.89 |
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See also |
Coins featuring The Witcher include (ordered by metal / size / year): - 1 oz Gold Proof, The Witcher - The Last Wish, 2021 - 1/10 oz Gold Proof, The Witcher - The Last Wish, 2021 - 1 kg Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - The Last Wish, 2019 - 1 kg Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - Sword of Destiny, 2020 - 1 kg Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - Blood of Elves 2021 - 1 kg Silver Statue, The Witcher - White Wolf 2021 - 1 kg Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - Time of Contempt, 2022 - 5 oz Silver Statue, The Witcher - White Wolf 2021 - 2 oz Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - The Last Wish, 2019 - 2 oz Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - Sword of Destiny, 2020 - 2 oz Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - Blood of Elves, 2021 - 2 oz Silver Ultra High Relief, The Witcher - Time of Contempt, 2022
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