1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Slay of the Nemean Lion

Part of a New Zealand Mint series retelling the Twelve Labors of Hercules, this Niue dollar uses the country's nominal sovereignty to license a bullion-adjacent commemorative with no domestic circulation purpose whatsoever. Niue, a self-governing island of roughly 1,600 people in free association with New Zealand, has issued collector coinage under its own authority since the 1970s — a revenue mechanism, not a monetary one.

The first labor, the Nemean Lion, involved a beast whose hide was impervious to mortal weapons, forcing Hercules to strangle it bare-handed. Its pelt became his signature garment.