| Coin | Silver Twenty-five Grams 2014 Fall of the Berlin Wall |
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The Republic of Palau is an island country in the western Pacific, in free association with the United States. In one way or another, the country has been under US administration since it was established, and has never had its own separate currency - it has always used the US Dollar. However, Palau allows some foreign mints to issue coins under its authority; these are denominated in US Dollars but are only legal tender in Palau, so can in a way be considered to be in "Palau Dollars", even though such a currency does not officially exist.
The coins are usually dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to the country itself. Many of them are in sizes based on the troy ounce, but some are "metric" - such as twenty-five grams (25 g) of silver.
This commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Mint says about it:
The Berlin Wall divided the city into East and West and was regarded as the most distinctive symbol of the separation.The former Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Germany, Helmut Kohl and the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev initiated the end of the Cold War. As a result of the wall falling on November 9th, 1989, Germany was reunited. |
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse of the coin features the unofficial "Emblem of Palau" used on much of the country's coinage. It has an ornate shield at centre, on which is depicted the sea god Neptune, crowned and seated on a round stone and holding a trident in his left hand; on the right, a bare breasted mermaid; on the left, a treasure chest. The ground is a beach, featuring waves and a starfish. Above Neptune, a star. Below the waves, the inscription RAINBOW'S END. Above the shield is a native rowing in a single-outrigger canoe.
Around above, surrounded by three stars on the left and three stars on the right, the name of the country: *** REPUBLIC OF PALAU ***.
Below, the face value $5 (two dollars). |
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse of the coin is coloured and shows a broken fragment of the Berlin Wall, with the Brandenburg Gate visible behind it. In graffiti style, on the wall are inscribed the anniversary dates 1989 and 2014, and fall of the wall.
In the foreground, a laser etched latent image which changes depending on the angle it is viewed at, displaying a portrait of either Mikhail Gorbachev or Helmut Kohl.
In small letters around the rim, starting below, the inscription BERLIN'S WALL WAS TORN DOWN DURING THE NIGHT OF THURSDAY 9TH NOVEMBER 1989, LEADING TO HOPEFUL THOUGHTS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD AND TO A NEW ERA OF CONFIDENCE THAT EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE NOT ONLY IN - being circular, the inscription can be finished as "not only in Berlin". |
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| Reverse Inscription |
1989 2014 fall of the wall |
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| Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Finish: proof, coloured, latent images.
CIT Item ID: 27055 |
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