5 dollars (62.20 g) silver coin The Treasure of the Aztec, Niue 2021

Many of us have dreamt of becoming Indiana Jones many times in our childhood. Wouldn’t it be great to travel, seek adventure and discover lost treasures?

The legends of the lost treasures inspired the Lithuanian Mint to create the ‘Missing Treasures’ coin series. The series consists of the coins signifying unique legends, myths and stories shrouded in mystery. The first of these, ‘The Treasure of the Aztec’, tells the story of the gold of an extinct civilisation, captured by pirates and stored in an ancient Aztec temple.

The reverse of the coin depicts a pirate – a cunning kidnapper and treasure hunter. He glees for the Aztec treasure he has captured: a wealth of gold articles, coins and other jewels. The motifs of the Aztec calendar are circled around, each with a different name, symbol, patron deity and even prophecy.

The obverse of the coin bears the public seal of Niue. The bottom of the seal shows two crossed katoua cleaving clubs, the symbol of the Niue Island, and there is the motto of Niue above them, ‘atua Niue tukulagi’.