Silver Ounce 2020 Chibi - Chewbacca, 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 movie characters. Some are also in innovative shapes, such as "Chibi".

Chibi (ちび or チビ) is a Japanese slang word describing something short (a thing, an animal or a person). The term is widely used to describe a specific style of caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way: small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads. Coins of this type look like cartoon characters and have their corresponding shape; they are also very thick for their size.

This coin features Chewbacca, the famous character from the Star Wars series.

The Mint says about it:
"Our Chibi™ Coin Collection expands to feature the legendary Wookiee™ warrior, Chewbacca™. Licensed by Lucasfilm Ltd, the coin is made from 1oz of pure silver which has been shaped and coloured to represent Chewie in the Chibi art style.

The Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is found on the obverse and confirms it as a legal tender coin.

This cool Star Wars™ collectible is placed inside a specially designed case moulded to the coin’s shape, to keep it safe. The outer box includes a large window, so the coin can be easily displayed, and is printed with more images of Chewbacca. A Certificate of Authenticity is printed on the box, along with confirmation of the coin’s unique serial number."