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.
The Mint says about this coin: This Street Fighter Chibi Coin features Ryu’s friend and fighting partner, Ken Masters. The coin has been shaped and coloured in the Chibi art style to resemble Ken, right down to his long and spiky black eyebrows and his dyed blonde hair. He wears his most recognisable attire of a tattered red karate gi, brown martial arts gloves and bare feet.
The Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II can be found on the obverse of the coin to confirm it as legal tender. Made from 1oz of pure silver, the coin is protected inside a specially designed case moulded to the coin’s shape. The outer box is Street Fighter-themed, incorporating images of Ken as he appears in the game, and includes a large window so you can easily display this unique memento. A Certificate of Authenticity printed on the box confirms the legal tender status of this collectible. |