Silver Ounce 2021 Star Wars - Galactic Empire, 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 coins under the authority of Niue. Most of these are commemorative and collector issues 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). Those issued at prices much higher than their bullion value are separately listed in the Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) silver ounce section of the site.

Unlike them, this coin is targeted at bullion investors and was initially released at a price close to the value of its precious metal content.

This coin is part of a New Zealand Mint series dedicated to characters and themes from famous movies, and features the logo of the Galactic Empire from the Star Wars universe.

When Supreme Chancellor and Sith Lord Palpatine proclaimed the first Galactic Empire, he reshaped the old Galactic Republic logo from an 8-spoke wheel to the 6-spoke symbol. It was meant to represent the most feared and powerful empire the galaxy had ever seen. The similarities and differences to the old symbol were intended to simultaneously create acceptance and necessary trust for a clear transition to the new order. The Galactic Imperial Crest appeared on flags, starships, administrative buildings and on currency.