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 Newt Scamander and is the first Chibi coin in the Fantastic Beasts series.
The Mint says about it: "Licensed by Warner Brothers, our Fantastic Beasts™ Chibi™ Coin Series commences with the famous Magizoologist, Newt Scamander.
The coin is made from 1oz of pure silver which has been shaped and coloured to represent Newt in the Chibi art style - with his unkempt hair and iconic attire of blue coat, brown vest, bow tie and Hufflepuff scarf.
The outer box is also Fantastic Beasts themed and includes a large window so the coin can be easily displayed. Inside the coin is protected by a custom-made case moulded to its shape. A Certificate of Authenticity is printed on the box, along with confirmation of the coin’s unique serial number."
In the Harry Potter series of books, Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander was an English wizard, famed Magizoologist and the author of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". Early in life, Scamander developed an interest in magical creatures, influenced by his mother's breeding of hippogriffs. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was sorted into Hufflepuff House. While at Hogwarts, he was sentenced to expulsion though Albus Dumbledore, who had been his Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, recognised his innocence, and objected strongly. |