Disney-Pixar has proven a winning combination in cinema since the 1995 release of Toy Story. In the intervening 22 years, countless successful animated films have followed. The Toy Story franchise included 3 films in all, and spawned successful other animated adventures including Monsters Inc., Cars, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory.
The New Zealand Mint has a diverse offering of Disney silver and gold precious metal coins, and the original Cars film from 2006 is getting its turn in the spotlight with a coin series commemorating the popular characters from the film. Get to know the Disney-Pixar Cars Series today!
Background on Cars
Cars was the final independent production from Pixar before it was purchased by Disney in May 2006, and the film was populated entirely by anthropomorphic cars. The film featured an impressive cast of voice-over characters, with Owen Wilson voicing Lightning McQueen, Bonnie Hunt as Sally, Larry the Cable Guy as Tow Mater, and Paul Newman as Doc Hudson. The film was, notably, the final acting role of Newman’s decorated career before he passed away.
The film was set in the fictional California desert town of Radiator Springs, along Route 66. The city was off the beaten path and ignored by progress because of the construction of a nearby interstate, mirroring the quiet life in retirement of local judge and former racing legend Doc Hudson. The film follows the adventures of Lightning McQueen, a newcomer on the Piston Cup circuit as he receives a dose of humble pie and learns the tricks of the trade from the legend himself, Doc.
The film premiered in May 2006 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in North Carolina, and had its theatrical release in June 2006. It was nominated for two Academy Awards (including Best Animated Feature) and won the Golden Globe Award for that same category.
Release Details
The first four coins in the series all share commonalities of design, such as mintage, purity, face value, and shipment packaging. Regardless of the coin you purchase from the series, you’ll note the following highlights:
- Arrives in a Perspex coin case with Cars-themed outer packaging and Certificate of Authenticity!
- Limited mintage of only 10,000 coins!
- Contains 1 Troy oz of .999 pure silver.
- Bears a face value of $2 (NZD) backed by the government of Niue.
- Obverse features Queen Elizabeth II.
All of the silver coins in this beautiful proof series include a colorized image of the character featured on the coin. This colorization is limited to the reverse field, and includes only the logo of the movie and the image of the character.
Lightning McQueen Coin
In the film Cars, Lightning McQueen is a brash rookie on the Piston Cup circuit, who finds himself lost in the backwoods of California in the sleepy desert town of Radiator Springs. Though he doesn’t realize it at first, McQueen encounters one of the greatest racers from Piston Cup history living in the quiet town, and from Doc he learns how to become a true racer on the circuit.
On the reverse of the 2017 1 oz Niue Silver Disney Cars Lightning McQueen Proof coin you’ll find the image of McQueen, stopped on the road on the way out of Radiator Springs. In the background you’ll notice the desert motif of Radiator Springs and sign that reads “Radiator Springs, Leaving So Soon?”
Sally Coin
Formerly a high-powered attorney in Los Angeles, Sally the Porsche starts a new life for herself in the small California desert town of Radiator Springs. The owner of a small motel in the town and a legal representative, Sally meets Lightning McQueen right off the bat, but isn’t impressed by his brash attitude.
Throughout the course of the film, Sally helps to bring McQueen’s hubris down as she shares her love of the town’s historic beauty with McQueen and points out to him that there is more to life than just success on the Piston Cup circuit. The reverse of each silver coin in this listing has a colorized image of Sally, with background imagery of the desert outside of Radiator Springs featured in the design. The Cars film logo is above along with the names of Disney and Pixar, the companies behind the film.
Tow Mater Coin
Voiced by comedian and actor Larry the Cable Guy, Tow Mater is the local tow truck servicing the people of Radiator Springs in the animated film Cars. Tow Mater one the hearts of viewers for his hijinks, affable character traits, and his lack of greater intelligence. A fiercely loyal friend of Lightning McQueen, it took some time for Mater’s antics to win over the hotrod.
The reverse of the 2017 1 oz Niue Silver Disney Cars Tow Mater Proof Coin is the colorized image of Tow Mater. His rusty-brown colorization is no mistake, as Mater takes pride in every single dent his frame has picked up over the years. For him, each dent is a special memory of good times.
Doc Hudson Coin
When Lightning McQueen stumbles into Radiator Springs, he makes a poor first impression with his brash attitude and destructive ways. The presiding judge in his case is a cranky old hotrod, who just happens to be the first-ever champion in the Piston Cup circuit and a legend of the race track.
Throughout the film, McQueen eventually figures out who Doc Hudson really is, and though he’s not keen on revealing his quiet life, Doc has a change of heart. He sees a young rookie in need of mature focus, and helps guide him to a win in the final scenes of the movie.
The reverse of the 2017 1 oz Niue Silver Disney Cars Doc Hudson Coin features the colorized design of the original champion of the Piston Cup, Doc Hudson. Voiced in the film by legendary actor Paul Newman, Doc Hudson has no love lost for the Piston Cup circuit, but somehow the brash McQueen draws him out into the public eye once more by the film’s end.
About the New Zealand Mint
If you’ve never purchased New Zealand Mint coins before, it’s time to brush up on their history. the New Zealand Mint is a private company with its headquarters in the capital of Auckland. The mint excels in producing legal tender collectible coins, gold bullion products, and medallions. It was founded over 40 years ago, and today it is the only precious metal mint located in New Zealand. Central to its global status, the New Zealand Mint can boast that it was one of the world’s first mints to adopt .9999 purity as a standard in its gold bullion products.
The mint sources all of its precious metals from international locations, producing coins and medallions using a minimum fineness of .999 for silver and .9999 for gold. The quality and impressive nature of the designs on New Zealand Mint coins puts it among the elite in the world of precious metals, with several coin programs that are coveted by the global community.
Although the mint has a brand name that insinuates it holds status as a sovereign mint, the New Zealand Mint does not print any paper bank notes or circulation coinage for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the national government. All New Zealand Dollar paper notes and coins are produced overseas by either the Royal Mint of London or the Royal Canadian Mint.
Keep an Eye Out for Future Releases
JM Bullion will carry all the Disney-Pixar Cars coins, so don’t forget to keep checking our website’s catalog for future releases in this series. As always, you can stay up to date with JM Bullion contests, giveaways, our blog, and new-coin releases by following us on Facebook!
