The sixth of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the Colossus of Rhodes. The legendary monument is commemorated by a gold coin from the Czech Mint weighing one-tenth of a troy ounce.

Rhodes was a free and wealthy island, famous as the shipping, trading and monetary centre of the eastern Mediterranean. No wonder the Greeks wanted to annex it to their empire. But their invasion, which took place in 304 BC, failed. The people of Rhodes fought so valiantly that the enemy warlord had to surrender and his entire fleet was captured. The victors then used the profits from the captured vessels and weapons to build a gigantic statue of the god Helios to thank him for keeping a protective hand over them. The 30-metre tall sun lord held a flaming torch that served as a beacon. The incoming ships could see it from a distance, helped by the fact that the statue's cloak was made of shiny bronze. However, the so-called Colossus of Rhodes, which amazed everyone who visited Lindos, did not last long. After 66 years, it collapsed into the sea as a result of an earthquake. The ruins remained intact until 653 AD, when the island was invaded by an Islamic army that took the bronze fragments to Syria. They were bought by a trader who transported them across the desert on 900 camels and had them melted down. Yet in the depths around Rhodes, divers are still searching for the remains of the colossus…

The reverse side of the coin, which is the work of the medal maker Petra Brodská, DiS., presents a supposed image of the Colossus of Rhodes, accompanied by the English inscription COLOSSUS OF RHODES. The obverse side, which is common to the entire cycle, presents all seven wonders of the world - the Egyptian pyramids, the hanging gardens of Semiramis, the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the statue of Zeus in Olympia, the mausoleum in Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the lighthouse on the island of Faro. As the coins of the Czech Mint are issued with the foreign license of the island of Niue, they also bear its national emblem, the nominal value of 5 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of issue 2023 on the obverse side.

Each coin is sealed in special packaging.

Note: The packaging is covered with foil to prevent damage during transport.