The twentieth silver coin of the Czech Mint from the series On Wheels pays tribute to the steam locomotive of the 387.0 series, which is known under the nickname “Mikado“.

The locomotives of the 365.0 series, which were the first Czechoslovak design after the First World War, did not have sufficient power. Especially on lines with a more difficult gradient, they could not maintain the required speed, and so Czechoslovak State Railways came up with a request for a more powerful machine. According to the specification, the new high-speed locomotive was to pull a train weighing 400 tonnes at a speed of at least 60 km/h with a maximum axle pressure of 16 tonnes. The Ministry of Railways awarded the contract to the Škoda Works, a test series was ordered in 1925 and immediately afterwards work began on the most beautiful and powerful Czechoslovak locomotive of the interwar era in the Pilsen plant. The first units of the 386.0 series were delivered in 1926, but it soon became apparent that they were overweight. The axle pressure was 17 tons, and the locomotive, which received the modified designation 387.0, was therefore not allowed on most lines. The railways naturally had reservations, but took delivery of the new machine and put it through its paces anyway. In the meantime, the manufacturer tried to remedy the deficiencies and the lines were reconstructed to accommodate the heavy locomotives. However, even the second series of 1930 did not satisfy the customers. It was not until the third series, which started production in 1932, that it succeeded. By 1937, a total of 43 units of the 387.0 series were produced in five series. Each series was improved - thanks to modifications, the locomotives could reach speeds of up to 120 km/h, while swallowing two tons of coal per hour and generating steam from 100 litres of water. The unusually short cast-iron chimney with a crown that resembled a fashionable lady's hairstyle earned the machine the nickname Mikado. When the more modern series known as the Šlechtična and Albatros arrived in the late 1940s, the Mikado was moved to passenger trains, where it gradually became obsolete. The last example was scrapped in 1974. The performance of steam locomotives on non-electrified main lines was then taken over by diesel locomotives, but the 387.0 series, which combined elegance and performance, is still rightly regarded as the supreme fast locomotive design in Europe…

The reverse side of the coin, which is the work of the medal maker MgA. Martin Dašek, is dominated by the depiction of the Mikado on the rails. Following the title of the cycle, another motif of the reverse is a detail of one of the locomotive wheels. The obverse side of the coin, which is filled with segments of the wheels of various means of transport, follows a similar theme. As the coins of the Czech Mint are issued with the licence of a foreign issuer, which is the island of Niue, the obverse side bears the necessary elements - the national emblem, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2023.

An integral part of the coin is a spectacular packaging in the form of a pop-up book which contains accompanying text and period photographs.