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2 Dollars - Elizabeth II Eye of the Sahara
| Issuer | Niue |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
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| Technique | Milled, Colored |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features the fourth definitive effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, depicting a right-facing diademed and draped bust of the Queen set against a highly stylized radiating background evoking the concentric ring structure of the Richat Structure. The engraver's initials 'IRB' appear beneath the truncation. The legend 'ELIZABETH II' curves below the portrait, flanked by the denomination '2 DOLLARS' to the right and the issuer 'NIUE ISLAND' to the left along the lower field. The date '2016' and purity mark 'Ag 999' are inscribed to the right of the bust, partially integrated into the decorative background. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Eye of the Sahara — formally the Richat Structure in Mauritania — was long thought by early space program analysts to be an impact crater, a theory that dominated scientific discussion until geological fieldwork in the 1990s confirmed it as an eroded symmetrical anticline. NASA astronauts used it as a landmark during orbital orientation training precisely because of its near-perfect circular geometry. Niue has issued a substantial number of geological and natural wonder silver rounds through the New Zealand Mint under licensing arrangements; KM#1349 falls squarely within that program.