Niue 1 Dollar Silver Coin 2012 Winter Egg - Faberge Egg
Series: Imperial Fabergé Eggs
Obverse: At the bottom – open „Spring Flowers Egg” (1899-1903) with a miniature basket and a bouquet of anemones. Above the basket – the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with an inscription: ELIZABETH II and the mint mark (m/w). Around – a decorative, neo-rococo ornament. Along the rim – the issuer’s name: NIUE ISLAND, the face value: 1 DOLLAR, the hallmark (Ag 925) and the year of issue – 2012.
Reverse: The beautifully crafted reverse features the 1913 Winter Egg considered the most expensive out of all Faberge Eggs. Perhaps Faberge's finest creation, it is made of carved rock crystal and embellished with engraving, and ornamented with platinum and diamonds resembling frost. The Winter Egg was made for Tsar Nicholas II to give to his mother for Easter in 1913. The reverse image is embellished with three colored Swarovski crystal to fully express the finesse and magnificence of the original Winter Egg. The coin has been issued with the limited mintage of 9999 pieces worldwide.
Year of Issue: 2012.
Metal: Silver.
Silver Fineness: Ag 925/1000.
Content: 0.54 Troy OZ.
Denomination: 1 NZD - legal tender in New Zealand.
Weight: 16.81 g.
Diameter: Ellipse 39 x 29.20 mm.
Quality: Proof.
Mintage: 9,999.
Exterior Decoration: Zircons and Elements in Polished Finish.
Producer: Mint of Poland (Mennica Polska).
Series: Imperial Fabergé Eggs
Imperial Faberge Eggs is a magnificent series of minted replicas of works by Carl Peter Faberge and his assistants. Thanks to the exuberance, intricacy and splendour of decoration, Faberge Eggs have gained a huge popularity as jewelry masterpieces. Now, struck in .925 proof silver, they are sure to become an extravagant and luxurious addition to any modern coin collection.
Winter Fabergé egg
The Winter Egg is a Fabergé egg, one of a series of fifty-two jewelled Easter eggs created by Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. It was an Easter 1913 gift for Tsarina Maria Feodorovna from Tsar Nicholas II, who had a standing order of two Easter eggs every year, one for his mother and one for his wife. It was designed by Alma Pihl.
The price in 1913 was 24,700 rubles, the most expensive Easter egg ever made. The egg left Russia after the Revolution, and ended up in the collection of Mr. Brian Ledbrooke, Esq. It was first sold at auction in 1994 at Christie's in Geneva for $5.6 million, the world record at that time for a Faberge item sold at auction. The egg sold for US$9.6 million in an auction at Christie's in New York City in 2002. It was reported that the buyer was Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
Design
The exterior of the egg is studded with 1,660 diamonds, and made from quartz, platinum, and orthoclase. The miniature surprise basket is studded with 1,378 diamonds and is made from platinum and gold, while the flowers are made of white quartz and the leaves are made of demantoid. The flowers lie in gold moss. The egg is 102 millimeters high.