ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL(NEW ZEALAND MINT)
The third of the New Zealand Mints Archangel coins is now available. After Gabriel and Michael comes Raphael, the archangel famed for his healing in the major Abrahamic religions. As before, the beautiful stained-glass designs from Hull Minster in the UK are the basis for the coins. Created in 1920 by Mary Hutchinson, they’re an inspired choice for the subject, tapping into the architectural aspect rather than the strictly religious.
A one-ounce fine silver coin of 36 x 53 mm, it’s struck to a proof finish and emplys colour on the reverse face using a relatively subdued pallette. We appreciate that they went that route rather than ramping up the colour to a caricature of the original artwork. The obverse is the usual effigy of QEII that populates the obverse of 99% of Niue issues. Packaging is excellent, with the mints superb acrylic frame doing the honours. Available now. for around $85 USD, it has a mintage of 2,000 pieces.
LINKS: DEBUT COIN IN THE SERIES
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