- Mintage Limit ONLY - 12000
- Embellished with a real piece of Amber (10mm diameter)
- Coin in capsule+with Certificate of Authenticity
The “Amber Route” is a very popular series of beautiful collector coins struck by the Mint of Poland for the issuer, Niue Island. The characteristic feature of this series is an amber insertion and a small mintage. The coins pay tribute to the main cities which lay along this ancient route of commercial contacts. The route connected the European states at the Mediterranean Sea and the lands on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, and was named after the major object of travelers’ desire, amber. The first trips to acquire this old subject of trade exchange were organized as early as the 5th century.
The exact route was never explicitly established, however, it is assumed that it went through Kaliningrad, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Stare Hradisko, Szombathely, Carnuntum and Aquileia.
Obverse:
In the centre, a stylized image of a cart, in which ambers were carried by the Romans from Baltic Sea to Italy. Behind the cart, on the left, a stylized image of a head of the Roman. On the background, a stylized image of a map with Baltic Sea outline. At the top, along the edge, a semicircular inscription: AMBER ROUTE. At the bottom, a semicircular inscription: NIUE ISLAND; above it, a nominal value: 1 Dollar. An image of the Queen Elizabeth II with the Mint’s mark (m/w), on the left of the cart. On the right of the Queen’s head, an inscription: ELIZABETH II; under it, a year of issue.
Reverse:
On the left side of the coin– an image of an ancient coin which comes from Stare Hradisko, next to it – amber insertion. On the rigth side of the coin – an image of an antique jewellery – a figurine. At the bottom, along the rim – semicircular inscription in Polish – „Stare Hradisko”.
Stare Hradisko (Moravia, Czech Republic). On the oppidum in Stare Hradisko was found a large amount of amber, mainly raw, but with some ready-made objects (ornaments, figurines, etc.), as well as artifacts deriving from Italic workshops (bronze and glass utensils, ceramics). These findings and numerous gold coins indicate that the oppidum, in other words a fortified settlement which was a center of craftsmanship and trade, was an important commercial stop along the amber route. The location was a source of economic development and wealth. The oppidum was active in the last centuries BC and its desertion in the 1st century AD was probably associated with the ethnic changes taking place at the time – when Germanic peoples invaded Moravia.