Silver Two Ounces 2017 Norse Goddesses - Hel, Coin from Tuvalu - detailed information

The Tuvaluan Dollar is the currency of Tuvalu - a small nation in the Pacific Ocean. Tuvalu has never had banknotes of its own, and has been issuing coins since 1976; these circulate together with coins of the Australian Dollar, which is also legal tender in the country, and to which the Tuvaluan Dollar is pegged.

The Australian Perth Mint issues a large variety of non-circulating legal tender coins under the authority of Tuvalu. Some of these are in the silver two-ounce format (abbreviated as 2 oz). Strictly speaking, they are not bullion as they are priced at a premium and are targeted at collectors who appreciate them for their artistic merit and collectable value and not just for their precious metal content.

This coin is the third and final release in the Norse Goddesses series of premium bullion coins by the Perth Mint (continuing Norse Gods issued in 2016), and is dedicated to Hel.

According to ancient Norse mythology, Hel is the goddess of the dead and the queen of the underworld. The gods predicted terrible forebodings about the destiny of Hel and her two siblings, Fenrir the wolf and Jormungand the serpent. As a result Hel was banished to the netherworld by Odin, the king of Asgard, out of fear of what she might become. In the netherworld she was responsible for the fate of all those who died from sickness and old age, and those souls who did not die in battle.

The coin has antique finish and a rimless design (which extends to the edge without a border).