Gold Ounce 2021 Pac-Man, Coin from Niue - detailed information

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 commemorative and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - such as one ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum).

This specially shaped gold coin is part of a range of coins featuring the cult video game Pac-Man.

The popular arcade game originated in Japan and was first released on May 22, 1980. The plot of the game revolves around the eponymous protagonist PAC-MAN - a yellow, puck-shaped character whose task is to eat dots in a maze. While doing so, he is pursued by four colourful ghosts with big eyes, from which he must escape.

The shape of the coin represents the protagonist, as displayed on the low-resolution screens of the time. APMEX says about it:
"At 13 pixels high and 12 pixels wide, each PAC-MAN™ shaped coin is the exact number of pixels according to the specifications provided by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. for the original 1980s classic arcade game. Each "pixel" is .1 inch by .1 inch. APMEX has brought this pixelated icon of gaming to life in three dimensions of .9999 fine purest gold."