Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.
A number of mints issue a large variety of coins under the authority of Niue. Most of these are commemorative and collector issues dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes, including one ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum). Those issued at prices much higher than their bullion value are separately listed in the Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) gold ounce section of the site.
Unlike them, this coin is targeted at bullion investors and was initially released at a price close to the value of its precious metal content.
This bullion coin is part of a New Zealand Mint series dedicated to Star Wars characters and themes, and features a Stormtrooper.
The Stormtroopers are an elite military unit of the Galactic Empire. They report directly to the Emperor and represent the largest military force in the galaxy. As part of their distinctive white armour, the Stormtrooper helmet not only provides protection to its wearers, but also served as an air filter and communication system, among other functions. |