Silver Minted in New Zealand

Silver Bullion from New Zealand

New Zealand is a two-island nation located in the Pacific Ocean southeast of the Australian continent. From this nation, countless silver bullion coins and collectible series of silver for sale arrive each year for investors and collectors to purchase. Some of these are annual-issue coins, while others are limited-issue coins with short productions runs and low mintage figures. Here you’ll find some additional information on silver bullion originating from New Zealand.

About the New Zealand Mint

The New Zealand Mint is a privately-owned minting company located in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The mint is the only one of its kind in New Zealand, but despite its status, it has no role in the production of bullion coinage or national currency for New Zealand. All local currency and banknotes are produced overseas by the Royal Mint and Royal Canadian Mint.

However, the New Zealand Mint has spent more than four decades producing legal tender coins, bullion bars, and other medallions. It was among the first mints in the world to adopt .9999 purity as the standard for refining gold coins. The mint regularly produces coins for both New Zealand and other small nations in the South Pacific, such as Niue, the Cook Islands, and Fiji.

Disney-themed Coins

One of the most robust coin programs from the New Zealand Mint is the one that focuses on Walt Disney’s many successful cartoon figures and the legacy of his brand. The collections available run the gamut from designs focusing on Mickey Mouse’s changing figure over the decades to low-mintage programs featuring the characters from Frozen and the Cars franchise. Examples of these designs and programs include:

• Mickey Through the Ages: One of the New Zealand Mint’s first releases, the Mickey Through the Ages collection cataloged some of the most famous renditions of Mickey Mouse from Walt Disney films dating back to the 1920s with Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy. The coins were issued in 1 oz silver, 1 oz gold, 1/4 oz gold, and 1/2 Gram gold with low mintage figures.
• Frozen: The Frozen Northern Lights collection from New Zealand Mint included five releases in all with colorized proof finishes that depict Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, Sven & Kristoff, Olaf, and a combined Anna & Elsa coin.
• Cars: Focusing on the original Cars film, these colorized proof silver coins include images of Lightning McQueen, Sally, Tow Mater, and Doc Hudson.

Star Wars Coins

Arguably the greatest science-fiction film franchise, you’ll find nine connected franchise films that include the original trilogy of films in the 1970s and 1980s, the prequel trilogy released in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the latest sequel trilogy launched in 2015. The new collections of films that began debuting in 2015 included the first standalone films in the franchise’s history with Rogue One and Solo. Details on some of the many Star Wars silver coins include the following:

• Star Wars Classic: The coins in this collection offer depictions of the main characters from the original trilogy of Star Wars films in the 1970s and 1980s. Images included those of Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and Yoda on 1 oz silver and 1 oz gold coins.
• Star Wars The Force Awakens: With the 2015 revival of the Star Wars franchise, the New Zealand Mint introduced silver coins with colorized designs of characters from the first film in the new trilogy of sequel movies to the original trilogy.
• Star Wars Rogue One: The first standalone film in the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One was also depicted on New Zealand silver with colorized proof designs.
• Star Wars The Last Jedi: The second film of the sequel trilogy, the New Zealand Mint continues to follow the sequel trilogy with new proof colorized designs.

Fiji Taku Coins

Launched in 2010, the Fiji Taku coin was introduced by the New Zealand Mint with a reverse design of the Taku. The word “Taku” comes from the native Fijian dialect and refers to the hawksbill turtle. The coins were issued on behalf of Fiji from 2010 to 2012 with the Taku on the reverse and Queen Elizabeth II’s effigy on the obverse. In 2013, following domestic political issues in Fiji, there was a break between Fiji and the United Kingdom. The result was the Fijian coat of arms appearing on the obverse of the coins.

The political coup that occurred in Fiji in 2013 led to the end of the Fiji Taku Series. The New Zealand Mint began issuing the design in 2014 for the nation of Niue instead and renamed it the Niue Hawksbill Turtle. The coins are available in two silver weights and one gold weight. The design of Niue Hawksbill Turtle Coins is nearly identical to the Fiji Taku, with the word “Taku” replaced on the reverse by “Turtle.” For the obverse of Niue Hawksbill coins, the New Zealand Mint uses the right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

New Zealand Lunar Coins

Like many other nations in the world today, New Zealand has its own series of lunar-themed coins. The New Zealand Mint issues the lunar coins for the nation of Niue. Available in silver and gold, the New Zealand Lunar Coins debuted with the 2015 issue of the Year of the Goat design. Subsequent releases available from JM Bullion include the Year of the Monkey and the Year of the Rooster.

Warriors of History

Debuting in 2016, the Warriors of History offered 1 oz silver coins with proof colorized images of famed warrior classes from human history. The first issue was that of the Samurai in 2016 and includes the following designs available since that time:

• 2016 Vikings
• 2017 Knights Templar
• 2017 Romans

These coins were individually housed in display boxes from the New Zealand Mint and include mintages capped at just 5,000 coins in total. Each coin comes with its own Certificate of Authenticity as well.

Purchasing New Zealand Silver from JM Bullion

If you’re interested in investing or collecting silver bullion from New Zealand, JM Bullion has a variety of coins to choose from when shopping. Please feel free to reach out to JM Bullion with your questions by calling us at 800-276-6508, chatting with us live online, or simply sending us an email with your inquiries.