This is the 2nd issue in the Niue high relief series “Mankind’s Mistakes” and it is dedicated to the Inquisition, the centuries when the Catholic Church was purging heretics from society. Struck from 2 ounces of .999 pure silver, it features select UV color on the reverse, a special 3D insert and a deep antique finish.
The design:
The first plan of the reverse shows a scene of brutal punishment of a man for heresy – through the torture of a breaking wheel. He is located above a burning fire and with other torture tools close at hand, including a club with spikes and a hammer. In the background of the coin is a scene of women being executed, being burned alive for their dissent.
Overlooking the scenes, you will find the Inquisitors, Clergy, because the Inquisition operated from the 13th to the 19th century as an investigative and judicial institution of the Catholic Church.
The obverse of the coin, instead of a stamp bears the issuer’s emblem along with a fragment of a medieval engraving.
Coin Highlights:
High relief strike with intricate artwork on both faces
Select UV color and 3D insert on the reverse
Low mintage of just 300 pieces worldwide
Numbered edge