Silver Ounce 2017 Star Wars - TIE Advanced x1, 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, 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 - typically, one ounce of silver (abbreviated as 1 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). Many of these feature famous movie characters.

This coloured silver proof coin is part of a New Zealand Mint series featuring ships from the Star Wars movies and shows a TIE Advanced x1 Fighter.

The TIE Advanced x1 did not enter mass production because of its high production costs. However, Darth Vader used the prototype as his personal space fighter. This ship was one of several TIE prototypes used by the Galactic Empire between the Battle of Yavin and the death of Emperor Palpatine at Endor.

The TIE Advanced x1 turned out to be one of the most successful prototypes, which is why many of its features were later incorporated into the TIE Interceptor and the TIE Avenger. The TIE Advanced x1 resembles a normal TIE fighter, but with a flatter profile and angled wings, which allows for better manoeuvrability and higher speeds.