Silver Ounce 2022 Chibi - Year of the Tiger, 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 is the first issue in the New Zealand Mint's Lunar Chibi Series featuring the Chinese Lunar Calendar, and is dedicated to the 2022 Year of the Tiger (1 February 2022 - 21 January 2023).

The Mint says about it:
Our Lunar Chibi Coin Series commences with the 2022 Year of the Tiger. The coin is made from 1oz of pure silver which has been shaped and coloured. The reverse features a child in a tiger costume, in the Chibi art style, holding a traditional red envelope featuring the Chinese character for "tiger".

The obverse carries the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The outer box has a contemporary design in keeping with the lunar new year theme and includes a large window so the coin can be easily displayed. Inside a custom-made case moulded to the coin’s shape provides additional protection.

The Years of the Tiger include 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 and 2022.