Silver Three Ounces 2023 Star Wars - Darth Vader, 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, or are based on the troy ounce - for example, three ounces of silver (abbreviated as 3 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).

This coin is part of New Zealand Mint's large collection dedicated to characters and themes from the Star Wars series of movies, and features Darth Vader.

Known from the Star Wars films, the former Jedi Knight is one of the most important main characters in the franchise. As young Anakin Skywalker, he initially was the student of the Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was educated to be a Jedi knight before turning to the dark side of the force and taking on the identity of Darth Vader. In a fire, he suffered severe burns and was almost killed. Darth Sidious found him, and as part of a life-saving operation, he was given the black armor, which included the mask with distinctive breath sounds and cybernetic limbs.

The detailed collage of the legendary character is in both colour and fine engraving. Relief and texture, using sandblasting, have been added, which stands out remarkably against the mirror background.