Patrons

Another gold mini coin of the Czech Mint from the Patrons series features St. Nicholas.

St. Nicholas of Myra was a generous man with a good heart who helped the poor and people in need - especially children. He gave away all his possessions, and when he wanted to continue his charity, he did not hesitate to steal from his father, a greedy rich man who traded in fish. At the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, it was not uncommon for a creditor to take a child as collateral from a debtor so that he could sell the child into slavery if the debt was not paid. As soon as Nicholas learned of such an unfortunate child, he decided to pay the ransom. He put the bag of money outside the window, hid it in his shoe or threw it down the chimney. Then he knocked and quickly disappeared, because he was modest and wished to remain unrecognized. The most famous story tells of three sisters who were saved from prostitution by Nicholas. Then, when he became one of the first bishops of the Christian Church, he founded schools and orphanages. He regularly visited them and took note of the evaluation of his charges. The good children were rewarded with praise, the misbehaving ones were punished with the scourge... In the story of the ancient saint, you will certainly recognize elements of today's St. Nicholas tradition. A gift in a stocking outside the window and judging whether a child has been naughty have been an integral part of the Czech pre-Christmas season since the 13th century. Children are also cared for by St Nicholas as a patron saint, but he is also worshiped by travellers, sailors, fishermen, merchants and the unjustly condemned. He is a protector against thieves and helps to recover stolen goods.

Nicholas is often depicted as a bearded man with a bishop's mitre, a crutch, a book and three apples. These attributes were also attributed to him by the medal maker David Kružliak. The Czech-English inscription on the reverse side states SV. MIKULAS - ST. NICHOLAS. As the licence to issue commemorative coins of the Czech Mint is granted by the Pacific island of Niue, the obverse side bears its necessary attributes - the portrait of King Charles III, the nominal value of 2 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of issue 2024.

The gold coin weighing one half of a gram was set in a special Czech-English packaging. It will serve as an affordable gift as well as an original addition to your collection and will become a good luck charm.