500 Dollars - Elizabeth II 100 Ducat of St. Ludmila

This piece recreates a coin that was itself already a recreation. The original 100 ducat of St. Ludmila was struck in Prague in 1629 under Ferdinand II, minted in a single massive gold planchet as a presentation piece — not currency in any practical sense, but a vehicle for political and dynastic display at a moment when the Habsburg consolidation of Bohemia after White Mountain was still raw. Niue's 2015 restrikes of historic European multiples occupy a well-documented niche in the modern bullion-collector market, with .9999 fine gold at a weight deliberately matched to the original's approximate mass.