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 Gimli, a character from the Lord of the Rings saga.
The Mint says about it: Our Lord of the Rings Chibi Coin Series would be incomplete without this loyal member of the Fellowship of the Ring - warrior Dwarf, Gimli. His Dwarven helmet, bushy eyebrows and long auburn beard are his most significant features on this Chibi Coin. He is dressed in his belted tunic, cape, and boots.
The Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is found on the obverse to confirm it as a legal tender coin. The coin is protected by a custom-made case. The outer box is themed to match, and the large window allows the coin to be easily displayed in its packaging. A Certificate of Authenticity is printed on the box, along with confirmation of the coin’s unique number in the mintage of only 2,000. |