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2 Dollars - Elizabeth II Rhyton
| Issuer | Government of Niue |
|---|---|
| Year | 2009 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 31.103 g |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II after the portrait by Raphael David Maklouf, depicting the queen wearing the George IV State Diadem, a drop earring, and a necklace. The legend ELIZABETH II · NIUE · TWO DOLLARS arcs around the periphery, divided left and right of the portrait, with the date 2009 positioned in the lower exergue. The engraver's initials RDM appear below the truncation. A beaded border runs along the inner edge of the coin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central depiction of a gold-plated rhyton from the Panagyurishte Treasure, a celebrated Thracian gold hoard discovered in Bulgaria in 1949, rendered in high relief with selective gold plating. The rhyton takes the form of a ram's or deer's head at the base, surmounted by a frieze of figural scenes in the Hellenistic style. The background field features incuse Cyrillic and early Glagolitic-style inscriptions evoking the Bulgarian cultural heritage associated with the treasure. The legend PANAGYURISHTE TREASURE is inscribed along the upper arc of the inner field. The coin is framed by a Greek meander (key) border pattern running around the full circumference. |
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| Additional information |
The rhyton — a drinking vessel typically fashioned from animal horn or ceramic — was central to ritual consumption in ancient Persian, Greek, and Scythian cultures, and Niue has built a cottage industry around exactly this kind of thematic numismatic tourism since the early 2000s. This particular issue falls within a broader collector-focused program that has little connection to Niue's domestic economy; the island's population hovers around 1,500, and virtually none of these coins enter circulation.
KM#222 is a relatively obscure entry even within Niue's crowded silver program of that year.