Silver Two Ounces 2017 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 - for example, two ounces of silver (abbreviated as 2 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).

This two-ounce silver coin (denominated as $5) is part of a New Zealand Mint series dedicated to characters from the Star Wars movies and features Darth Vader.

As a young Anakin Skywalker he was originally the student of the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who trained Anakin to become a Jedi Knight. Later, he was attracted to the dark side of the Force and became the Sith Lord Darth Vader and servant of the Emperor. In a fire he got bad burns and almost died until Darth Sidious found him. In the course of a life-saving operation he was put on a black armor, including the iconic black mask with the unmistakable breathing sounds.