Star Wars Legal Tender Coins (New Zealand)

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
New Zealand Mint are apparently about to release the first of a set of coins which are legal tender in the Pacific Island of Nuie with Star Wars imagery on them and there might be 40 coins in the complete set (staggered releases). The first coins are to be released during August at the American Numismatics Association Show in Chicago. More details (or click on the individual images below)


(Note for dial-up users: The website is quite slow to load).

(Note: for weak-willed: These coins are horribly expensive! :()
 

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
I haven't read all the details, but I think anyone can buy them from the website ... assuming you've got a healthy bank balance! Each coin apparently costs at least 10 times it's $2 currency value (not sure if those are NZ$, US$ or Niue$).
 

darthskellington

Dark Lord of the Typos
If money grew on trees.....I guess I'd convert to more Star Wars money. :p A set of 40 coins displayed in the forthcoming 40-coin holder would be quite impressive....reminiscent of the vintage POTF coin set.
 
A quick update with a sad observation. I have collected all ten '2011' coins. It's the end of June, half way through the year, and not a single 2012 coin has been produced. There is a companion set of the same coins in gold which didn't get much public attention, and it seems to have stalled at only four coins produced.

The New Zealand Mint changed ownership in April of 2012, so we can hope that the line will continue. I would love to get my hands on that collector box. When you go to the New Zealand Mint website, all of the coins which were tagged as "Sold out" have recently been changed to "Pre-Order Now" so perhaps production has been started back up again?

When I have time, I'll finish up the photography and post the 14 basic coins (10 silver, 4 gold) coins here.
 
The program I belonged at the beginning advertised the free storage box with shipmemt ten. Unfortunately, their program was only advertised through shipment eight (Yoda - coin #10) and the last shipment I received from them was coin #6 - C-3PO.
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I ordered the rest of my coins directly from the New Zealand mint, and with the exception of one capsule case, they arrived in excellent condition.

The company I was subscribed through also had access to the gold series, of which the coins were limited to production runs of 25,000. (Silver is limited to 50,000.) I received the first four of that series before they mysteriously stopped. I'm still subscribed for the golds, so if they every get additional coins, I'll be receiving those.

Here is a quick visual guide for your enjoyment. Apologies in advance to anybody who is bandwidth restricted.
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darthskellington

Dark Lord of the Typos
Very cool! Thanks for sharing! :) That's too bad about the line possibky stalling out. Look at it on the bright side....you may have a complete set now. :p
 

Buzz Bumble

Furry Ewok
OneCardSHy: It's the end of June, half way through the year, and not a single 2012 coin has been produced.

Patience young Padwan. ;)

For those with very large bank balances, a second set of coins has been announced - this time with Episode I images. Here's the press release borrowed from the Star Wars New Zealand website ...

Star Wars coin set strikes back

Just like in the movies, the sequel to the highly successful Star Wars legal tender coins is about to be released globally.

And the second series of Star Wars coins show the force is still strong.

Four new 1oz .999 silver coins from the much-loved film series have been produced and feature legendary characters Yoda, Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala and Darth Maul.

Official licensee, S&A Partners, have once again turned to New Zealand Mint, who is world renowned for its innovative design and packaging.

"This second series shows the breadth of strong characters in the Star Wars franchise and we think the new coins will prove just as popular as the first series. There's a passionate Star Wars and coin collector fan-base out there and we're happy to bring the two together yet again," says Steven Harris, managing partner at S&A Partners.

With global sales of more than 6,000 sets, the first Star Wars series represents the most successful New Zealand Mint coin collection ever produced. "We searched deep inside ourselves when thinking about this new Star Wars series and decided the teachings of Master Yoda should be our guide. Do or do not, there is no try," says New Zealand Mint chief executive Simon Harding.

New Zealand Mint is producing 7,500 sets featuring all four coins presented in a unique Darth Vader or Millennium Falcon display case. Each set includes an individually numbered certificate of authenticity. The obverse of the coins features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and are legal tender of Niue. Coins will also be available for purchase through several international coin distributors. Star Wars devotees can get their coin fix in September for NZ$499 from:
About the Coins:
The second release includes a 4 x 1oz Silver coin set available in either the Darth Vader case or the Millennium Falcon case. Open the Darth Vader case and hear the authentic sound effects of Darth Vader breathing, or open the Millennium Falcon case and hear the authentic sound effects of the ship's iconic, "Jump to light speed".

The coins feature legendary characters Yoda, Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala and Darth Maul.

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SWS14%20Darth%20Maul%20COIN%20455_0.png
 
Believe it not, I'm going to 'pass' on this, just because of the concept. Series 1 "Millennium Falcon" and "Darth Vader" sets aren't selling very well for them. For series 2 they created four new coins ($125 each) and reused both of the original boxes (unsellable leftovers IMHO).

This looks like a cash-reboot to me. Right now silver is at $33 an ounce. That means that if pretend they aren't silver, subtract the precious metals cost, the company has valued each coin at $90.00, required the buyer to pick up all four, and made them only available in your choice of box which 'serious collectors' already own.

I purchased the first ten silver and first four gold of a set that were advertised as being from a 'collections of 40'. The NZ Mint has already broken their collecting contract with me. To continue on with only the most expensive, previously unannounced (and cobbled together) sets and leave their advertised sets shelved is not impressive.
 
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