One of the strangest and most controversial episodes of medieval history was the rise of the Order of Assassins, an offshoot of an Ismaili subsect of the Shi’a Muslim faith who were heavy users of espionage, exerting influence from a network of fortresses in the mountains of Syria and Persia between the 11th and 13th centuries. Founded by the mysterious Hassan i-Sabbah at the fortress of Alamut, they often used stealth and daggers to battle their enemies, and they were dreaded across the Middle East for centuries. These dreaded spies and saboteurs are commemorated by the 2022 5 oz Antique Niue Silver Nizaris Assassins Statue Coin.
Coin Highlights:
- Ships in a custom-made case with a Certificate of Authenticity!
- Issued in 2022!
- Limited mintage of just 200 pieces!
- Contains 5 Troy oz of .925 actual silver.
- Carries a face value of $10 (NZD) backed by Niue.
- Obverse side (base) carries an effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
- Reverse side is a detailed miniature statue of a Nizari Fida’i or assassin.
The Nizari Ismaili sect was born from a complicated succession struggle in the Caliphate of Cairo: they were the loyalists of Nizar ibn al-Mustansir, an heir to the Caliphate who was executed by a rival in 1095. His followers fled Egypt into Persia and Syria, where one of their numbers had already established a retreat at the fortress of Alamut. The Order of Assassins formed there under the tutelage of that founder, Hassan i-Sabbah, who was also called the Old Man of the Mountain. It became a vast network of spies and saboteurs whose most famous members were the fida’i, the fanatically dedicated Assassins either demonized or romanticized by history ever since.
The 2022 5 oz Antique Niue Silver Nizaris Assassins Statue Coin shows one of the fida’i in a beautiful antique finish and with detailed, historically-accurate sculpting. It ships in an elegant box with a Certificate of Authenticity, fully-insured against any possible loss or damage.
The coin’s obverse side, also the underside of the statue’s base, features an effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by elaborate geometric designs. It’s surrounded by inscriptions of her name, the coin’s face value, “NIUE,” “2022,” and “AG 925.”
The reverse side presents a detailed miniature statue of one of the feared fida’i of the Order of Assassins, masked and wielding a dagger. At his feet, he’s surrounded by geometric decorative patterns and decorative towers and minarets that mimic the walls of a fortress at the coin’s rim.
Contact the team at JM Bullion to learn more about silver for sale. Call us at 800-276-6508, reach us by e-mail or touch base with an agent through our online live chat.