2022 Niue Mankind’s Mistakes Witch Trail 2oz Silver Antique Finish Coin

The first coin in the interesting series “Mankind’s Mistakes“. Unfortunately, humans are not infallible. Sometimes history holds humanity accountable for actions that, years later, turned out to be a huge mistake.

The first coin depicts the Witch Trial. It was struck from 2 ounces of pure silver. To emphasize the role of fire, the torch was decorated with UV printing and a 3D insert imitating tar. The reverse of the coin depicts a scene of the trial of women suspected of witchcraft. This is a dark part of Christian history, which resulted in the loss of many innocent lives. The obverse features the Niue coat of arms, information on the denomination, bullion and year of issue. The coin is packaged in a dedicated wooden box.

A witch trial is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern period or about 1450 to 1750, spanning the upheavals of the Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War, resulting in an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 executions. The last executions of people convicted as witches in Europe took place in the 18th century. In other regions, like Africa and Asia, contemporary witch-hunts have been reported from sub-Saharan Africa and Papua New Guinea, and official legislation against witchcraft is still found in Saudi Arabia and Cameroon today.

In current language, “witch-hunt” metaphorically means an investigation that is usually conducted with much publicity, supposedly to uncover subversive activity, disloyalty, and so on, but with the real purpose of intimidating political opponents. It can also involve elements of moral panic or mass hysteria.