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5 Dollars - Charles III Zhang Fei
| Issuer | Niue |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
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| Currency | Dollar of New Zealand (1987-date) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Full-length portrait of Zhang Fei, the legendary general of the Shu Han kingdom from the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', depicted in elaborate Tang-style battle armour astride a powerful warhorse. He is shown wielding his iconic serpent-blade spear (Zhang Ba She Mao) diagonally across the field, with the spear shaft rendered in vivid gold-coloured selective gilding. The surrounding field is densely populated with a high-relief battle scene featuring mounted and foot soldiers, war banners, and traditional Chinese palatial architecture in the background. To the left, the inscriptions 'ZHANG FEI' and 'Romance' appear in Latin script, accompanied by a seal-script cartouche bearing the Chinese characters '三國'. The entire composition is executed in deeply sculpted antiqued silver with exceptional artistic detail. |
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| Additional information |
Zhang Fei is one of the sworn brothers of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the 14th-century historical novel that has shaped Chinese cultural memory of the Han dynasty's collapse more durably than any academic history. Niue has issued collector silver under its own authority since the 1990s, leveraging its status as a New Zealand realm territory to produce legal tender coins with no expectation of domestic circulation — a financing arrangement that funds the island's government while giving international mints a sovereign issuer to work with.
The two-troy-ounce format places this squarely in the premium collector bullion category that emerged in the 2010s as manufacturers competed for the Chinese diaspora market.