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 Mint says about this coin:
Venetian masks are well-known all over the world for their beauty, craftsmanship, and history. Allowing them to hide their identity, they obliterated the differences between people. Covered with a mask, everyone was equal, regardless of the origin - the rich and the poor, an artist and artisan. “Venetian Mask” is a coin that stunned collectors from all over the world and gained the prestigious title of Mint of Poland’s Diamond. |
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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 ISLAND · 5 DOLLARS 2022 ·.
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). The MW mint mark of the Mint of Poland (m over W), for Mennica Warszawska (Mint of Warsaw), is below the Queen's portrait and to the right. |
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