2023 - Niue 1 NZD Silver Coin Nikola Tesla - War of the Currents - Proof

Nikola Tesla

The first silver coin in a four-part miniseries dedicated to the life and work of the brilliant inventor Nikola Tesla commemorates the technological dispute and commercial conflict that went down in history as the war of the currents.

Nikola Tesla studied mathematics and physics, researched electricity and discovered the principle of alternating current. He worked in the company of Thomas Alva Edison, and when he travelled to America to see him, he believed that a fellow inventor would appreciate and support his discovery. Edison, however, did the opposite and swept the efficient system aside. Not surprisingly, his livelihood was in jeopardy - Edison's power plants, grids and motors used direct current. Thus,  the famous "war of the currents" began in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Edison argued that alternating current was too dangerous - he did not hesitate to use it to kill an elephant during a demonstration and inadvertently invented the electric chair. Tesla, supported by the wealthy industrialist George Westinghouse in his fight against the technology tycoon, was convinced that AC power transmission resulted in less grid losses and that AC motors were simpler and cheaper to build. The world eventually agreed with Tesla and his system, which we still use today, became the standard. The ingenious inventor foolishly gave up all the financial rewards he was entitled to in the interests of scientific progress and continued to dream. The next step in his electrical revolution was wireless power transmission, which he successfully tested. Westinghouse, however, behaved like Edison – easily accessible electricity that di not need the grid would deprive him of profits, so he stopped supporting Tesla...

Medal maker Asamat Baltaev, DiS., dedicated the reverse side of the coin to a portrait of Nikola Tesla looking down on his rival Thomas Edison. The two inventors are separated by electric discharges and the composition is supplemented with the English inscription WAR OF THE CURRENTS. The lightning bolts can also be found on the obverse side of the coin, which is common to the entire miniseries. 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 national emblem, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2023.

You can store the four coins dedicated to Nikola Tesla in a special collector's box, which you can also find in the offer of the Czech Mint.