2020-01-21 Tue

Niue Mint issued in 2019, a 2 dollars silver coin depicting Ancient Greek Goddess – Artemis. This is the first issue from the new “itGoddesses” series, which celebrates the most influential female characters in the pantheons of old.

Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo was the goddess of chastity, hunting, wild animals, forests, childbirth, and fertility. Convincing her father to grant her wishes, Artemis desired to remain forever chaste and unmarried and always to be equipped for hunting.

The goddess was also associated with the moon and was the patron of young women, particularly brides-to-be, who dedicated their toys to her as symbolic of the transition to full adulthood and the assumption of a wife’s responsibilities. This coin is full of wonderful details which are:

The reverse of the coin depicts the incredible high relief image of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. The Goddess is holding a crossbow which is in gold and is surrounded by the intricate design of forest wolves and an antelope. The inscriptions: “goddesses” – the name of the series and “ARTEMIS” – the name of the Goddess is at top and bottom respectively.

The obverse of the coin depicts a wonderful intricate image and the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. All around the obverse, the inscriptions read: “NIUE” – the issuing country, “ELIZABETH II” – the name of the Queen, “2019” – the year of issue and “TWO DOLLARS” – the face value.

Image Courtesy: https://www.powercoin.it