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5 Cents - Elizabeth II Encrinus Liliiformis
| Issuer | Niue |
|---|---|
| Year | 2021 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing diademed and draped effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, engraved by Ian Rank-Broadley, whose initials IRB appear below the truncation. The naturally textured Muonionalusta meteorite substrate forms the field, exhibiting the characteristic Widmanstätten pattern. The circumferential legend reads ELIZABETH II to the left, NIUE to the upper right, and FIVE CENTS continuing along the right arc, with the date 2021 appearing at the bottom of the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II NIUE FIVE CENTS IRB 2021 |
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| Additional information |
Encrinus liliiformis is a Triassic crinoid species whose fossils appear with unusual frequency in the Muschelkalk limestone deposits of central Europe — so commonly, in fact, that the geological layer itself was informally named after it. Niue has used its status as a Commonwealth realm with independent minting authority to issue a long-running series of coins incorporating actual meteorite fragments, a niche that a handful of Pacific micro-states have quietly dominated since the early 2000s.
The meteorite material embedded in this piece is not decorative coating — it is a physical inclusion of extraterrestrial iron in the flan itself.