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Monday 17 February 2020

1246) The "Norse Dragon (or "Dreki"), Niue Island: The "Mythical Dragons of the World Coin Series": Minted by the New Zealand Mint: The third Silver 5 Dollars Selectively Coloured Coin in the Series features the Norse Dragon: Date of Coin issue: 14.02.2020:

1246) The "Norse Dragon" (or "Dreki"), Niue Island: The "Mythical Dragons of the World Coin Series": Minted by the New Zealand Mint: The Third Silver 5 Dollars Selectively Coloured Coin in the Series features the Norse Dragon: Date of Coin issue: 14.02.2020:

This Silver Coin is the third release in the "Mythical Dragons of the World Coin Series" minted by the New Zealand Mint on behalf of the Niue Island and features the "Norse Dragon" (or "Dreki"). The earlier two issues were on the "Red Dragon" of Arthurian Legends and  the "Four Dragons" in Chinese Folklore.

The Norse Dragon:

Fafnir, Otr and Regin were the sons of the dwarf king Hreidmar. Tragically, Otr was killed by three gods, after taking the form of an otter. When Hreidmar learnt of this, he captured the three gods with the help of Fafnir and Regin and held them for ransom until the infamous Loki provided the dwarves Andvari's ring and his cursed gold as repayment for the loss of his son.

Fafnir was the strongest and most aggressive of the three sons. Incited by greed, Fafnir killed his father and took the riches for himself into the wilderness, where he gradually turned into a dragon - a symbol of greed - in order to guard the treasure. He breathed poison into the land around him, so no one would go near him and his treasure.

However, Regin also wanted the treasure and plotted revenge, sending his apprentice Sigurd to kill Fafnir. Regin instructed Sigurd to dig a pit in which he could lie in wait for the dragon. Regin then ran away in fear, leaving Sigurd to complete the task. Undaunted, Sigurd used his sword to fatally wound the dragon.

After Fafnir was slain, Regin returned and asked Sigurd to cook the dragon's heart for him. Sigurd having tasted Fafnir's blood while cooking the heart, was able to understand the language of birds (this knowledge if given to one who eats the heart of a dragon). The birds told Sigurd that it was Regin's intention to kill him, so instead Sigurd killed Regin and was left victorious with Fafnir's treasure.

The Coin:

The Reverse of the Silver Five Dollars selectively coloured Coin artistically illustrates the Norse Dragon (or "Dreki") being slain by Sigurd. The use of colour for the dragon and his golden treasure, further enhances the impact of the image.

The inscription on the lower periphery reads - "2 OZ .999 FINE SILVER".

The Obverse of the Silver Five Dollars selectively coloured Coin depicts an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, whose initials "IRB"appear below the Queen's neck.

The peripheral inscriptions are -"ELIZABETH II, NIUE (ISLAND). FIVE DOLLARS. 2020".

The specifications of this Five Dollars Coin are:

Metal Composition: .999 Fine Silver; Coin Quality/Finish: Antique with selective colouring; Weight: 2.0 Troy Ounce; Diameter/Size: 50.0 mm; Year of issue: 2020; Mintage: 2,000 pieces; Country of issue: Niue Island; Minted by: New Zealand Mint, on behalf of Niue Island.
The Coin is delivered in a book-style packaging in keeping with the ancient Norse Dragon theme. The Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is printed alongside the Coin, confirming the silver purity and limited mintage of the coin.











Links to posts on Australia, New Zealand and countries and Overseas Territories of the South Pacific etc on this Blog: 

1) Bank of Papua New Guinea: 36th Anniversary Celebrations (1973-2008): A Commemorative Uncirculated Coin Set consisting of a 2 Kina Banknote & a 2 Kina Coin



 3) Currency & Coinage of the Solomon Islands: Dollars and Cents

4) New Zealand: New Banknote "Seventh Series" issued under Project "Brighter Money" from 2015 onwards

5) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of Caledonia (or Nouvelle Caledonie) the CFP Franc  

6) French Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific and the French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emmission d'outre Mer (IEOM)

7) Currency & Coinage of Samoa: Tala and Sene 

8) Currency of the South Pacific Island Country of Fiji 

9) Coinage of New Zealand: A commemorative coin set issued in 1979 

10) Currency and Coinage of Australia: Dollars and Cents 

11) The Australian Emblem or the Coat of Arms 

12) The story of the Australian Penny 

13) The Legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty: A Commemorative Coin Set from the Pitcairn Islands depicting relics from the Bounty issued in 2009 

14) An Australian $5 coin issued in 1996, commemorating Australia's greatest cricketing legend - Sir Donald Bradman 

15) New Series/Generation of Australian Banknotes being introduced from 01.09.2016 onwards starting from $5 issues 

16) Southern Lights: A $1 Silver holographic coin issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in January 2017

17) Currency & coinage of the Kingdom of Tonga : Pa'anga & Seniti 

18) Postage Stamps & Coin: Commemorating the Centenary of the Trans-Australian Railway Line stamps issued by Australia Post & coins by Perth Mint on 04.07.2017



20) The Earth and Beyond Coin Series issued by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM): First coin in the series - The Earth - issued on 03.04.2018


21) Wedge Tailed Eagle Coin Series: 200 Dollars Gold, 100 Dollars Gold & 1 Dollar Silver coins brought out by the Perth Mint, Australia in its on-going series started in 2014 in collaboration with John Mercanti, Chief Engraver of the US Mint: Coins issued in 2018


22) Australian Kangaroo Coin Series: 25th Anniversary Commemoration: A $100 Gold Coin and a $10 Silver Coin with selective gold plating issued by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM) in 2018


23) "Kangaroo at Sunset": The Royal Australian Mint (RAM) is phasing out this iconic $25 Gold Coin from its repertoire of Commemorative Coins in 2018


24) "Discovery": An exclusive one piece - 2 Kilo Gold Coin studded with four Argyle Pink Diamonds/Gemstones minted by the Perth Mint, Australia in co-ordination with the Argyle Pink Diamonds Mine on 04.09.2018


25) "The Moon": The Earth and Beyond three Silver Coin Series: Royal Australian Mint issues the second coin in the series - a silver coloured Five (AUD) Dollars Concave-shaped (Domed) Coin on 03.09.2018


26) New $10 Australian Banknote issued on 18.09.2017 under the "Fourth Series of Banknotes": New generation of Australian Banknotes being introduced in a phased manner from 09/2016 onwards by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)

27) New Australian 50 Dollar Banknote (AUD $50) issued in 10/2018, under the "Fourth Series of Banknotes": New Generation of Australian Banknotes introduced in a phased manner from 09/2016 onwards by Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)


28) "Lake Argyle" - "The Jewel of the Kimberley", Australia: Limited Edition Series of Rare diamond ingots in Pink Gold (10 Oz. & 1 Oz.) and Platinum (1 Oz.) studded with eight Argyle Pink Diamonds each issued by the Perth Mint, Australia in collaboration with the Argyle Pink Diamond Mine (2018)


29) "The Sun": The Earth and Beyond Coin Series": Royal australian Mint (RAM) issues the third and final coin in the three-coin Series, a Silver Coloured Five (AUD) Dollars Concave-shaped (Domed) Coin on 03.02.2019


30) Australia New Generation $20 Banknote is scheduled to be released in October 2019, joining the already released Banknotes in the denominations of $5, $10 and $50 in the new Series

31) The Afghan Express, Australia's iconic Train nicknamed "The Ghan": 90th Anniversary of the iconic Transcontinental Passenger Train: A 50 Cent Colour applied coin brought out by the Royal Australian Mint on 08.07.2019

32) "Kangaroos at Dawn", Australia, replaces the "Kangaroo at Sunset" Coin Series:25 Dollar Gold 1/5 Oz Coin and 1 Dollar Silver 1/2 Oz Coins brought out by the Royal Australian Mint

33) Australian Redback Spider: The first coin in a new $1 (AUD) Silver Bullion Coin Series, brought out by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM) in a series titled "Australia's Most Dangerous": Coin issue year: 2020 

34) QANTAS (Queensland And North Territory Aerial Service), Australia: Centenary Anniversary Celebrations (1920-2020): A Commemorative $1 (AUD) Coin issued by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM; b) An 11-Coin set featuring an aircraft from QANTAS's 100 year old history and the Kangaroo Penny, which inspired its "Flying Kangaroo" logo: Coin issue Year: 2020

35) Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Niue: A $100 (AUD) Pearl 1 Oz. Gold Proof Coin: Date/Year of issue - 2020

36) "Gold Rush, 1851", Australia: Gold (10 Dollars), Silver (1 Dollar) and Aluminium Bronze (1 Dollar) Coins minted by the Royal Australian Mint commemorate the Era of Australia's Gold Rush; Year of issue: 2020

37) Indian-Pacific Railway Service, Australia: 50th Anniversary of the iconic train service: A Commemorative 50 Cent Coin issued by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM): Year of issue: 2020:

38) The ill-fated ship "Batavia", Australia: "Australian Shipwreck Coin Series": The first Gold 100 Dollars Triangular shaped Bullion Coin minted by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM): Coin issued in 2019

39) The ill-fated ship "Vergulde Draeck" (or the "Gilt Dragon"), Australia: The second Gold 100Dollars and Silver 1 Dollar Triangular shaped Bullion Coins minted by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM): Coin issued in 2020

40) The "Tooth Fairy", Australia: A $2 (Two Dollars) Coin issued by the Royal Australian Mint (RAM): Coin issue Year: 2020

41) Native Daphne Moths, New Zealand: A set of six stamps depicting Native Daphne Moths issued by New Zealand Post: Stamp set issue date: 05.02.2020

Links to interesting Posts on coins from Tuvalu Islands:
Links to posts on issues from the Republic of Palau:

2) Four Leaf Clover - Coin titled "Silver Fortune" - A 5 Dollars Silver coin issued by Coin Invest Trust in 2018


3) Totem Pole 2 Oz. or 10 Dollars Silver coin from the Republic of Palau being issued on 12.06.2018


4) The "Maneki Neko Cat" ot the "Fortune Cat" : A $1 Gold Coin issued by the Republic of Palau: Minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt, Munich for Coin Invest Trust in 2018


Links to Posts on coin issues from Niue Islands:


1) Battle of Marathon: Battles that changed History Coin Series: A $2 Silver coin issued by the New Zealand Mint of behalf of Niue Islands in 2018


2) Sachin Tendulkar: "World's Greatest Batsman": Gold & Silver coins issued by the New Zealand Mint on behalf of Niue Islands in 2015


3) The "Red Dragon", an issue from Niue Island: minted by the New Zealand Mint: "The Mythical Dragons of the World Coin Series": The first Silver 5 Dollars selectively coloured Coin in the Series features the "Red Dragon of Vortigern": Year of issue: 2019

4) "The Four Dragons", Niue Island: Minted by the New Zealand Mint: The "Mythical Dragons of the World Coin Series": The second Silver 5 Dollars Selectively Coloured Coin in the Series features the Four Dragons: the Long Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon: Year of issue: 2019

5) The "1001 Arabian Nights Tales": First $2 Silver crown Coin coin in the Series depicts the "story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves": Coin issue date: 29.03.2019

6) Niue Island: "The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor": The "1001 Arabian Nights Tales": The Second Coin in the Series features the story of Sindbad the Sailor, on a $2 Silver Crown Coin issued by the New Zealand Mint on behalf of Niue Island in the South Pacific: Issue date: 05/2019

7) Birds of Paradise, Niue Islands: A 1 Oz Silver $2 Coin minted by the New Zealand Mint on behalf of Niue Islands: Coin minting Year: 2020

8) The "Norse Dragon" (or Dreki"), Niue Island: The "Mythical Dragons of the World Coin Series": Minted by the New Zealand Mint: The third Silver 5 Dollars Selectively Coloured Coin in the Series features the Norse Dragon: Date of Coin issue: 14.02.2020



Links to posts on Coin issues from Solomon Islands:



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