2021 - Niue 1 NZD Silver Coin Dog Breeds - Yorkshire Terier - Proof

Dog Breeds

The Czech Mint dedicated the third silver coin from the Dog Breeds cycle to the Yorkshire Terrier.

With a height of about twenty centimeters and a weight of three kilograms, the Yorkshire Terrier is one of the smallest dogs in the world. His body is covered with long, silky soft hair that can reach to the ground. It's unbelievable, but this show social dog was originally a working breed that hunted rats and sewer rats in the mines. The ban on breeding large hunting dogs was associated with the fact that subjects in England were banned from hunting since 11th century. That's why the miners in Yorkshire, North England, bred a small companion who could catch not only pests, but occasionally some rabbits. With the progressive industrialization of England, dog rats spread to cities, where they helped in spinning mills, cleaned the streets, and entertained the workers. In the so-called rat pits, they took part in fights in which their task was to bite as many rodents as possible within a given time limit. When the professional breeding of dog breeds began to develop at the end of the 19th century, the cute little dog with the big heart of a warrior was noticed by breeders who further reduced its size and lengthened their fur. Yorkshire quickly became a pet of noble ladies…

The reverse side of the coin, which is the work of the medal maker MgA. Martin Dašek, bears two images of a Yorkshire Terrier. The first is colored, so it highlights the golden fur of the dog. The second, which is embossed, presents a Yorkshire terrier with his hair all the way to the ground and the necessary bow on the exhibition pillow. The composition is supplemented with a bilingual inscription JORKŠÍRSKÝ TERIÉR – YORKSHIRE TERRIER. Since the coins of the Czech Mint are licensed by the foreign issuer, the island of Niue, the obverse side bears the name and portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2021. These attributes are supplemented with a number of human and dog footprints.