Molon Labe Collection
The Complete Guide to the Molon Labe
2019 · SILVER TYPE I · INTAGLIO MINT
Intaglio Mint has a tradition of striking silver rounds with unique designs and phrasing. A recently developed series focuses on historic phrases which carried great weight in their day but are not often heard by modern humans.
The phrase Molon Labe comes from the ancient Greek language and means come and take them. The phrase is reported to have been uttered by Leonidas to the Persian ruler Xerxes I when he demanded the surrender of the Spartan warriors.
The obverse side of the Molon Labe Silver Rounds includes the logo for the Intaglio Mint. The logo is set in the centre of the design field on a background that features a radial burst with a stippled border around the design field. Engravings of the weight, purity, and metal content are included.
Silver Bullion Regular Release
Released in 2019 as a set of 10 unique coins, available in both 1 Troy Ounce & 2 Troy Ounce .999 Fine Silver, 39mm. The Designs for both 1oz and 2oz are identical. See below for further details on the obverse & date variations.
2019
Type I
Mintage Unknown
2019
Type II
Mintage Unknown
2019
Type III
Mintage Unknown
2019
Type IV
Mintage Unknown
2019
Type V
Mintage Unknown
2020
Type VI
Mintage Unknown
2020
Type VII
Mintage Unknown
2020
Type VIII
Mintage Unknown
2020
Type IX
Mintage Unknown
2020
Type X
Mintage Unknown
Obverse & Date Variations
Intaglio Mint logo set on radial burst surrounded by stippled border reading “ONE TROY OUNCE” or “TWO TROY OUNCE” above and “.999 FINE SILVER” below on textured background.
Original Release
Types 1 – 5 were first released in 2019 with a “ND” (No Date) obverse – the only variations not to include a date stamp.
Types 6-10 were released in 2020 flanked by the mintage year in roman numerals “MMXX”.
Re-Release
Types 1 – 10 have since been re-released in 2021, 2022 and 2023 – with each year having a slight variation on the obverse design.
Roman Numerals continued to be used for 2021 (MMXXI) & 2022 (MMXXII) but in 2023, the Roman numerals were removed and the format was changed to numbers, simply using ‘2023’.
Legal Tender Release
In 2022 a 1oz series was released (dated 2022) as a non-circulating legal tender 1oz bullion coinage. Issued a face value of $2 (NZD) by Niue, with Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Each 2022 1 oz Niue Silver Molon Labe Coin was made available in 2 variations (Type I & Type II) both in BU condition and with a limited mintage of 1,500 each.
The Type I and Type II issues have the same designs on the obverse and reverse, but with a subtle difference in the strike of the coins. While the Type I coin was struck with Medallion Alignment for the die, with the images both upright as you spin the coin 180 degrees, the Type II release features a Coin Die Alignment with one image upright and the other upside down as you rotate the coin on its end 180 degrees.
*The 2oz obverses are shown below. The corresponding 1oz design is identical apart from the boarder reading “ONE TROY OUNCE”
2019
Obverse
Type 1-5 “ND”
2020
Obverse
Types 6-10
2021
Obverse
Types 1-10
2022
Obverse
Types 1-10
2022
Obverse
NIUE (1oz only)
2023
Obverse
Types 1-10