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Saturday 14 November 2020

1552) Jasper Scarabaeus, Niue Island : A $1 (One Dollar) Silver Coin minted by the Mint of Poland on behalf of Niue Island: Year of Coin issue: 2020:

1552) Jasper Scarabaeus, Niue Island : A $1 (One Dollar) Silver Coin minted by the Mint of Poland on behalf of Niue Island: Year of Coin issue: 2020:

The genus Scarabaeus consists of a number of Old World Dung Beetle species, including the sacred Scarab Beetle - "Scarabaeus sacer".

These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rolling a piece of dung some distance from where it was deposited and burying it in order to feed on it underground.

They also prepare food for their larvae by excavating an underground chamber and filling it with balls that have eggs laid in them. The growing larva feeds upon the dung ball, pupates and eventually emerges as an adult.

A scarabaeus is now an outdated term for an object in the form of a scarab beetle in Art.

Interestingly, the Scarab was a popular form of amulet in Ancient Egypt and also in ancient Greek Art engraved gems.

Scarab Beetles were an important funerary accessory in Ancient Egypt:

A particularly useful addition to the extensive funerary accessories of the ancient Egyptians was, in addition to the burial, to place a large "heart scarab beetle" in bandaging. 

The heart scarab was a large scarab which was wrapped in the bandages over the mummy over the deceased's heart. It was made out of a range of green and dark coloured materials, including glazed stearite, schist, feldspar, haematite and obsidian.

This form of protection was prevalent as early as the Thirteenth Dynasty and according to the "Book of the Dead"  (Chaper 30) should be made of a specific green stone (nemehef). 

The scarab was thought to prevent the heart from owning up to any crimes the person had committed in life, during the ritual of weighing of the heart of the dead person. 

The gist of the inscription in the Book was an instruction  from the dead person to his or her heart that when it was brought before the tribunal of gods presided over by Osiris for judgment, it should not confess to any wrong-doings that the  dead person might have committed during his or her lifetime. As a further precaution, heart-shaped amulets were included in the bandaging to ensure that the heart remained at all times in the body (except during the actual Weighing of the Heart ceremony). 

Chapter 29 B of the Book of the Dead stated that these amulets should be made of cornelian, but they have been found to have been made of other materials, such as glass.

The scarab beetle was also a symbol of new life and resurrection. The scarab beetle was seen to push a ball of mud along the ground and this concept led to symbolise the beetle rolling the sun across the sky. Subsequently the young beetles were observed to hatch their eggs inside the ball of mud, hence the idea of creation - life springing forth from primordial mud.

The protective amulet for the heart was, therefore, in the shape of a scarab beetle, the manifestation of the creator  and solar deity - Khepri.

The Commemorative Coin:

The Reverse and Obverse of the Silver Coin with the Jasper Insert, placed side-by-side.

On the Reverse of the $1 (One Dollar) Jasper Scarabaeus Coin is seen the image of a green scarab, with open wings, facing the Jasper insert.

On the Obverse is 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. 1 DOLLAR. 2020". Also seen on this face is the Metal Composition "Ag 999" and the mintmark "MW".

The specifications of this Silver Coin are:

Theme/Title: Jasper Scarabaeus; Country of issue: Niue; Denomination: $1 (One Dollar); Year of issue: 2020; Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Diameter/Size: 38.61 mm; Weight: 17.50 grams; Shape: Round; Edge: Reeded; Coin Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU); Minted By: Mint of Poland; On Behalf Of: Niue Island; Mint mark: "MW"; Mintage: 999 pieces; Special techniques: Colour, Inlay; Designer: (Obverse) Ian Rank-Broadley.

The Presentation Box/Case in which the Silver Coin with the Jasper insert is housed. It is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).

The Silver Coin placed  against the Presentation Box/Case kept open in the background.








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














"Australian Shipwrecks" Coin Series:


Links to interesting Posts on coins from Tuvalu Islands:




Link to Posts from Tokelau:
Links to posts on issues from the Republic of Palau:

Links to Posts on coin issues from Niue Islands:







Links to posts on Coin issues from Solomon Islands:


Other links to interesting posts on Coins brought out by Coin Invest Trust on behalf of other countries:









The 7-Summits Silver Coin Series:

Links on Batman and Superman Posts on this Blog:

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