Modern Numismatics

Louis Golino has been a collector of American and world coins since childhood and has written about coins since 2009. He writes about modern coins and other numismatic issues for Coin World. He is a founding member of the Modern Coin Forum.

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UHR rose-gold-plated Zeus $5 begins Niue Gods of Olympus series

zeus-2017-gods-of-olympus-coin-from-niue-reverse-side

A new Niue series, issued as usual by the Mint of Poland, returns to the Gods of Olympus, opening with Zeus. A stunning image of Zeus, thunderbolt in one hand and shield in the other, is selectively plated with rose gold in the central design device.

Image courtesy of First Coin Company

An angled view emphasizes the extreme relief of this new 2017 $5 from the Mint of Poland, one of a mintage of 500 coins, ostensibly legal tender in Niue.

Image courtesy of First Coin Company Inc.

Queen Elizabeth II graces the obverse of the Niue 2017 Gods of Olympus, Zeus silver $5 coin. This side is also struck in high relief and has an antique silver finish.

Image courtesy of First Coin Inc.

Over the past four years an increasing number of silver coins have been issued by numerous world mints that depict ancient mythological deities from different parts of the world and different religions and cultures.

The trend began with a Niue series, Gods of Ancient Greece, that started in 2013, in which the coins were struck in the shape of rectangular bars.

Then came the Perth Mint’s Gods and Goddesses of Olympus series, which dealt with Greek gods and inspired a range of other coin series depicting Scandinavian or Nordic gods, as I discussed in my May 2016 article in Coin World magazine. In addition, there are some more recent series that focus on Roman gods, such as the Niue series that began with a coin honoring Ares, the god of war, that is being released very soon.

The 2014 Zeus coin from Perth, the first issued in high relief with an antique finish, has probably had the biggest impact on this segment of the modern coin market. That coin saw a very substantial increase in its secondary market value, and its success seems to have played a key role in the decision of other mints to issue similar coins. Its success was also related to its artwork that is stunning and nontraditional, making it different from other coins that showed mythological figures in more classic depictions.

These coins generally follow a similar format: high or ultra-high relief and an antique silver finish, sometimes selectively gold-plated, and usually struck from two ounces of silver and minted in small numbers.

Now a new Niue series, issued as usual by the Mint of Poland, returns to the Gods of Olympus, and the first piece depicts Zeus.

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Zeus was the king of the Olympian gods and the god of the sky, lightning, and thunder. Like Odin in Nordic mythology, he was an all-father figure, admired and respected by the other gods, even those who were not his natural children.

Though issued in the same format described above, the new Zeus issue has something different from all the others. It is selectively plated with rose gold on the central design device, which is a stunning image of Zeus, thunderbolt in one hand and shield in the other.

Only 500 Zeus coins are being issued, and the coin can be purchased from First Coin Company, which offers free worldwide shipping and refund of any import duties you might be assessed depending on where you live. First Coin Company is offering a special discount of 5% to readers of this column. Just enter the code 5zeus at the menu of your shopping cart by clicking “edit.”

It is also available from Powercoin in Italy.