Coin | Silver Two Ounces 2023 Forces of Nature - Meteorite |
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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).
This coin is the first release in the Forces of Nature series, and is dedicated to the meteorite.
Meteoroids are formed by the breakup of larger celestial bodies such as asteroids or comets and can enter the atmosphere of a world, dragging a comet tail behind them. If meteoroids are so large that they can penetrate the atmosphere and not burn up but land on the world, they are called meteorites. |
Mint | PAMP |
Mint Mark | No mint mark |
Total Mintage |
750
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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 left, the precious metal content 2oz 999 SILVER (two troy ounces of 99.9% silver); around right, the face value FIVE DOLLARS. Around below, the date of issue 2023. |
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Reverse | |
The reverse is coloured and depicts meteors moving towards Earth, with a large explosion visible on the surface from an earlier impact.
Around above right, the inscription FORCES OF NATURE. |
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Reverse Inscription |
FORCES OF NATURE |
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Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | Finish: proof, coloured, Ultra High Relief, selective lacquer finish. Packaging: in presentation box, with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Release price: AU$ 425.00.
There is no primary information available about this coin; it seems that the coin was commissioned by Australian company Downies and struck by PAMP. |
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