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 specially shaped coin marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic film Ghostbusters, and features the Ecto-1 New York licence plate of the Ectomobile.
The vehicle used for Ecto-1 was a 1959 Cadillac professional chassis built by the Miller-Meteor company. The ambulance/hearse combination was the end loader variety. Dr. Ray Stantz found the vehicle in 1984 , shortly after he mortgage his mother house to buy the Firehouse. Because of his mechanical skills, he was able to repair the vehicle, which he acquired for $4,800. After repairs were completed, the vehicle had quite a unique character. It became a well recognized symbol for the Ghostbusters franchise.
Released in 1984, Ghostbusters is an American supernatural comedy film that follows the story of three doctors working in the Paranormal Studies Department of Columbia University in New York. After being fired for their unreliable and suspect findings, research, and methods, the three decide to start their own business specialising in paranormal investigations and eliminations known as ‘Ghostbusters’.
The coin enclosed is produced under license by The Coin Company Australia as legal tender under the authority of Niue. |