2055) "Tiger II (or 'Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B' - World War II"), Niue Island: Second Coin in a $10 (Ten Dollars - NZD) Silver Coin Series - titled "Confrontation", minted by Volga-Vyatka Mint, (Numisart Mint) on behalf of Niue Island: Year of Coin issue: 2021:
The "King Tiger" is the second Coin in this Series titled "Confrontation", after the IS-2 kickstarted this Coin Series.
The German "Konigstiger", (also called the "King Tiger" or the "Tiger II AusfB"), was the pinnacle of operational tank design in the Wehrmacht.
About the "Tiger II":
The Tiger II was a German heavy tank of the Second World War.
The final official German designation was "Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B" (often shortened to Tiger B.)
The ordnance inventory designation was "Sd.Kfz. 182" (Sd.Kfz. 267 and 268 for command vehicles).
It was known as "King Tiger" by Allied soldiers, and is also known under the informal name "Königstiger" (the German name for the Bengal tiger which translates literally as "Royal Tiger").
The Tiger II was the successor to the Tiger I, combining the latter's thick armour with the armour sloping used on the Panther medium tank.
The tank weighed almost 70 tonnes, and was protected by 100.00 mm to 185.00 mm (3.9 inches to 7.3 inches) of armour to the front. It was armed with the long barrelled 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 anti-tank cannon. The chassis was also the basis for the Jagdtiger turretless Jagdpanzer anti-tank vehicle.
The Tiger II was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army and the Waffen-SS.
It was first used in combat by 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion during the Allied invasion of Normandy on 11 July 1944.
On the Eastern Front, the first unit to be outfitted with the Tiger II was the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion, which by 01.09.1944 had 25 Tiger IIs in operation.
Greatly feared, despite under 500 tanks having been built and a limited deployment, it met with limited success, primarily due to its heavy weight and small numbers.
Nevertheless, this tank in operations managed to garner itself a feared reputation. Claims of kill ratios of 10:1 on the Eastern Front were not unheard of, and many of the Tiger II’s were lost to mechanical problems rather than artillery/in combat.
The Coin:
The second Coin focusses on the tanks deployed on the Eastern Front during WWII. As a predominantly ground war, the spearhead of the battlefield were the armoured divisions, used to spearhead penetrating attacks which would be followed up by the infantry.
The technological advantage swung between the two sides, culminating on the Soviet side with the IS-2 in early 1944.
The gilded star represents the highest German Award.
The Coin is inscribed "CONFRONTATION" at the bottom.
At upper left is featured the "PUBLIC SEAL OF NIUE".
On the lower periphery is inscribed - "TEN DOLLARS. NIUE. 2021. Ag 999".
The specifications of this Coin are:
Country of issue: Niue Island; Year: 2021; Coin Series Theme: "Confrontation"; Coin Theme: "Tiger II" Tank - World War II"; Denomination/Face Value: $10 (Ten Dollars - NZD); Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 2.0 Oz or 62.2 grams; Diameter/Size: 45.0 mm; Coin Quality: Antique Finish; Minted By: Numisart/VVMD; Mintage: 200 pieces; Special Technique: Ultra High Relief, Gilding; Presentation Box/Case: Yes; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes; Encapsulated: Yes; Serially Numbered: Yes from 001 to 200.
The second coin of the series titled "CONFRONTATION". The blackening was sanded by hand, at a strong magnification it looks like micro-scratches, which is not a defect!
Santosh Khanna has commented:
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DeleteRajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very Nice".
Thank you, Trikha sahab.
DeleteRsanker Sharma has commented:
ReplyDelete"Great post."
Thank you so much, Sharma sahab
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