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    Marching to Orders: The Star Wars Storm Trooper is 2nd in the Niue Star Wars Series

    Earlier this year the New Zealand Mint issued the first coin in an exciting new gold and silver bullion series commemorating what is arguably the greatest science-fiction franchise of the last 40 years: Star Wars. The debut coin in the collection featured that familiar face of evil we all know: Darth Vader. Now, for the 2018 issue of the collection the second coin arrives with the faceless foot soldiers of the Galactic Empire. Stormtroopers make their debut in the collection with a captivating design on new gold and silver coins, and JM Bullion now has the silver coin available online right now for presale, along with a look at this new release in our midweek blog!

    Release Details

    Following the successful launch of the series in 2017 with the Darth Vader Silver Coin, the New Zealand Mint stays on the side of evil with its design releases to feature the Stormtroopers. The 2018 1 oz Niue Silver Star Wars Storm Trooper Coin has a limited mintage of only 250,000 coins in total for the silver release. Each individual coin contains 1 Troy oz of .999 pure silver in BU condition.

    Each coin in BU condition bears no signs of wear and tear, though the potential for minor flaws from the coining process exists. These flaws are, however, limited to breaks in the luster, spotted surfaces, or contact marks. The coins are available with a face value of $2 (NZD) backed by Niue and ship in one of three options:

    • Individual coins arrive in protective plastic
    • Multiples of 25 coins ship in mint tubes
    • Multiples of 25 coins arrive inside of a Star Wars-themed Monster Box with a total of 10 tubes, each containing 25 coins

    There is a common obverse design field of the coins which includes the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. As with all commonwealth coinage, it is standard practice to issue the coins with the monarch’s effigy. This particular design of the Queen captures Her Majesty in right-profile relief and was created as the fourth-generation depiction in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley.

    Meet the Stormtroopers

    For as long as the Star Wars franchise has been in movie theaters, fans of the sci-fi genre have watched the faceless, nameless foot soldiers of the Empire do battle with the forces of good from the Rebellion. Let’s take a closer look at the Stormtrooper though before moving on to the specific reverse design in this release.

    Stormtroopers appeared right off the bat in the 1977 release of Star Wars as the main ground force for the Galactic Empire. The soldiers work under the supreme command of Emperor Palpatine, while also taking orders from his underlings and other commanders. In the original trilogy, Darth Vader was the individual most likely to issue commands to Stormtroopers in the films. Beginning with the 2015 release of The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke is the supreme leader of the Stormtroopers of the First Order, and commanders such as Kylo Ren now issue orders to the soldiers.

    Chronologically, Stormtroopers come into being during the prequel series of films when Emperor Palpatine swells the ranks of the Imperial Army by replacing the faulty drone army with real recruits and conscripts. All Stormtroopers wear the same outfit of white armor with black fabric at the joints and have a black visor that blocks all eye contact while in uniform. These initial Stormtroopers were actually clones based upon the bounty hunter Jango Fett.

    With a stable Empire under Palpatine, Stormtroopers are deployed in the Imperial Army, serve with the Imperial Navy as mobile forces throughout the galaxy, and are also used in Palpatine’s personal army, stationed on battlecruisers, Imperial bases, and even on the Death Star.

    With the release of the sequel films, the world is introduced to a new breed of Stormtroopers. Palpatine’s death and the shattered Empire see new Stormtroopers emerge as the various factions of the former Empire begin to reform. With new armor and different leaders, the Stormtroopers become the ground infantry of the First Order under Snoke.

    The 2018 Niue Star Wars Storm Trooper Coin

    On the reverse of the new Star Wars Storm Trooper Silver Coin is the image of a Stormtrooper holding his handgun-sized blaster with his right arm outstretched. The Stormtrooper design is raised from the background field of the coin and polished for enhanced beauty. The figure of the Stormtrooper is set against a satin matte background that includes the Imperial logo. You’ll find the weight, purity, and metal content of the coin on this face, along with the Lucasfilm copyright for the design. Additionally, the New Zealand Mint’s logo provides a further layer of authenticity to these brilliant coins.

    Additional Information on the Series and New Zealand Mint

    The 2018 1 oz Niue Star Wars Storm Trooper Silver Coin is one of two releases in the collection, with gold coins in a 1 oz weight also available. The gold coins have .9999 pure gold with the same design aspects on the reverse and obverse sides of the coin, and a $250 (NZD) face value assigned by the government of Niue. Unlike the silver coins, the gold coins for sale in this collection arrive in either individual protective plastic capsules or sealed raps of 10 coins.

    The New Zealand Mint is the proud coining home of the Niue Star Wars Series of silver and gold bullion coins. 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.

    Follow JM Bullion and Get Your 2018 Storm Trooper Silver Coin Online!

    JM Bullion now has the Storm Trooper Silver Coin available for presale, with the coins set to ship on or around November 7, 2017. Don’t wait to add this coin to your collection today! As usual, we encourage our readers to follow our blog weekly for the latest in new coin releases, precious metals news, and other exciting information from JM Bullion. You can also follow us on Facebook to be part of the conversation and learn immediately when our blog posts go live or to take part in exciting contests and giveaways!

    Disclaimer: All Market Updates are provided as a third party analysis and do not necessarily reflect the explicit views of JM Bullion Inc. and should not be construed as financial advice.

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