Silver Ounce 2023 Chibi - Year of the Rabbit, 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 second issue in the New Zealand Mint's Lunar Chibi Series featuring the Chinese Lunar Calendar, and is dedicated to the 2023 Year of the Rabbit (22 January 2023 - 9 February 2024).

The Mint says about it:
Coloured and shaped, this 1oz pure silver Chibi Coin shows the cutest child in a rabbit costume, holding a traditional red envelope featuring the Chinese character for rabbit. Stamped on the back of the coin is the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, confirming it is legal tender.

As part of our Lunar Chibi Coin series, the coin sits in a case which has been moulded to its shape for extra protection. It comes in contemporary-style packaging with a lunar new year theme and includes the words "Happy Chinese New Year" in both English and Chinese. The box also features a large window - great for display! A Certificate of Authenticity is printed on the box, along with confirmation of the coin’s unique number in the limited mintage of only 2,000 coins.

The Years of the Rabbit include 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023.