Southern Lights. Holographic technique brings NZ Posts latest proof silver coin to life
The official issuer of New Zealand commemorative coins, the New Zealand Post, has just launched its latest proof silver coin and it’s another one with a twist. It isn’t often that the relatively overlooked southern lights, also called the Aurora Australis, is the subject of a coin, especially compared to its Northern brother so this is a nice addition for that reason alone. Utilising a ‘holographic foiling’ technique, the coin reverse aims to replicate the ethereal look of the aurora. While the official image below is promising, we’ve yet to see the coin in the flesh. It’s struck in a troy ounce of fine silver to a proof finish.
The design works by placing the aurora in perspective using a small local church in the foreground (see picture above). It’s a picturesque scene marred only by the prominent denomination, something we feel better placed in the border given this is hardly going to be used as currency. The obverse has the usual Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on it along with inscriptions stating her name, the issuing country and the date. Packaged in a black box with a themed outer shipper, it sells for $149.00 NZD and each of the 1,500 being produced comes with its own certificate of authenticity. Available to buy now.
MINTS DESCRIPTION: This stunning coin captures the magic of the Southern Lights both in its colour and its shimmering surface. The Southern Lights can range in colour from pink to green to purple, with the colours dependent on a number of factors. The type of solar wind particle, the type of gas molecule and the electrical state at the time of the collision all have an effect on the eventual colour of the aurora.
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