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, bullion 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 - including this very large five ounces of silver format (abbreviated as 5 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).
This specially shaped coin is part of a large range featuring Disney cartoon characters, and was issued to mark the 90th Anniversary of Donald Duck.
The first animated cartoon featuring the clumsy duck was broadcast in the USA on 9 June 1934. Although Donald Duck only had a supporting role in "The Wise Little Hen", his career took off without stopping and since then he has gained fans all over the world. Donald Duck is the fiancé of Daisy Duck, the nephew of Scrooge McDuck and the uncle of Tick, Trick and Track. He is prone to clumsiness and choleric outbursts, and arguments with Daisy are not uncommon. At the same time, however, Donald is also characterised by his reliable loyalty. |