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). Many of these features characters and themes from legends, mythology or religion, such as this one.
This coin depicts the head of the statue of David, which is located in Florence, Italy. It was completed over the course of three years by Michelangelo and today is recognised as one of the greatest works of art in history. The statue depicts David, the biblical hero from the Old Testament who famously defeated Goliath with a single stone.
At the close of the 13th century, a committee was established in the Republic of Florence to plan the construction of the city's famous cathedral. Included in the plans was a statue of a famous Old Testament character to be carved from a 12,000-pound marble slab. Two artists were commissioned to sculpt the statue and failed. Finally, in 1501, the artist Michelangelo set out to finish the project, and after 3 exhausting years, the statue was completed. Known as David, this masterpiece of Renaissance art is currently held at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. |
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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 FIVE DOLLARS 2022.
The portrait of the Queen is in a depression in the surface of the obverse, which is shaped as if it was cut into marble.
In small letters below left, the hallmark AG 999 (99.9% silver). Below right, the mint mark of the Lithuanian Mint: the letters LMK arranged one over the other within a circle (with the K below tilted on its side); the abbreviation stands for Lietuvos monetų kalykla - the mint's name in Lithuanian. |
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