Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
250 Dollars - Elizabeth II Galileo Galilei
| Issuer | Niue |
|---|---|
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar of New Zealand (1987-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a detailed portrait of the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei, depicted holding a refracting telescope — an instrument closely associated with his pioneering astronomical observations. A terrestrial globe and a rendering of the moon are positioned alongside the figure, alluding to his landmark studies of celestial bodies. The composition is executed in high relief, with fine engraving conveying the scholarly gravitas of the subject. The inscription 'Galileo Galilei' appears in the field, identifying the celebrated Renaissance polymath. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Niue has become one of the Pacific's most prolific licensing hubs for commemorative bullion, issuing coins under agreements that allow international mints and distributors to use the territory's authority with minimal local involvement. This piece belongs to that model entirely — a New Zealand-administered territory with a population under 2,000 providing the legal issuing framework for a coin with no meaningful connection to its nominal home.
Galileo's 1633 trial before the Roman Inquisition, which forced his public abjuration of heliocentrism, ended with house arrest at Arcetri until his death in 1642.