Star Trek may have a rising profile in the world of precious metal coins, but when it comes to the world of science-fiction there is no franchise more popular than Star Wars. Created in the late 1970s by George Lucas, the franchise has blossomed from its original three-film release into a collection of nine major motion pictures across five decades of history.
The original Star Wars three-film release set the stage for the franchise in the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s. That was followed up by a prequel trilogy of films released at the turn of the 21st century, and now returns to theaters to grab the attention of an entirely new generation of people with a new trilogy series following the aftermath of the original films.
An entire series of Silver Star Wars coins are currently available from the New Zealand Mint, issued for the tiny island nation of Niue, and feature stunning colorized proof finishes with limited mintages. Explore a galaxy far, far away in the following paragraphs as we dive into the beauty of the Silver Star Wars coins available today from JM Bullion.
Since 2015, the New Zealand Mint has been producing Star Wars-themed bullion. This includes silver and gold coins, some available in Brilliant Uncirculated condition and others with colorized proof visuals. The series available to date include the Star Wars Classic Collection and the Star Wars: Force Awakens. While these coins offer variety and collectible appeal, there are certain designs that have proven so popular that the NZ Mint keeps the programs running from one year to the next.
Examples of these annual-release Star Wars Silver bullion coins include the Darth Vader release and the newer Boba Fett issue. The Darth Vader coins have been available as of 2017 with a new reverse depiction of the Sith lord for each date mark. In 2020, another of the beloved characters from the franchise comes to 1 oz silver bullion coins with the introduction of Boba Fett.
All of these coins come with an obverse design of Queen Elizabeth II. The 1998 effigy of Her Majesty created by Ian Rank-Broadley is found on this side of the coins. Within the design element, Queen Elizabeth II is depicted in right-profile relief with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara on her head. Each of the coins comes with 1 Troy oz of .999 pure silver in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. The coins are available in plastic flips individually, mint tubes for multiples of 25, or themed boxes of 250 coins.
Fans young and old crammed theaters at the end of 2015 to see the release of the first film in the highly-anticipated new Star Wars trilogy. Set in the future beyond the timeline of the original three Star Wars films from the 1970s and 1980s, the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens dominated global box office news and ticket sales for weeks.
The New Zealand Mint is currently in the midst of producing two separate coin series to take advantage of the popularity of the film franchise at the moment. Among these is the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Series. The program features colorized images of popular new characters in the franchise that appeared in The Force Awakens.
All of the coins from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens collection have a colorized proof design on the reverse that features three different images of the represented character. The six design releases in total include coins for Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, Rey, BB-8, Finn, and Poe Dameron.
Following the late 2015 release of The Force Awakens in theaters, fans are gearing up for the December 2016 release of Star Wars: Rogue One. This film is unique in that it is not part of the follow-up trilogy that launched in 2015 with The Force Awakens. Instead, for the first time in Star Wars history there will be a stand-alone film in the anthology. Rogue One is set in the Star Wars universe in the time following the events of Star Wars: Episode III and before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV.
In the film, the storyline focuses on a group of Rebel spies intent on stealing the designs for the Galactic Empires Death Star. The two primary groups to feature in the film are captured in the Star Wars: Rogue One Series of coins from the New Zealand Mint.
The obverse side of each Star Wars Rogue One coin includes the right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The British monarch appears on the obverse of all commonwealth coins, and has since ascending to the throne in 1952. This depiction was created in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley as the fourth-generation effigy of the Queen.
As for the design features, there are only two coins in this release. One depicts the members of the Rebel Alliance, while the other features the forces of The Empire. Each coin, like the Force Awakens collection, has a brilliant colorized finish on the reverse. The designs include an Empire coin and a Rebellion coin.
The original Star Wars trilogy of films, launched in the late 1970s, set the stage for what would become one of the greatest box office anthologies of all time. The original films gave the world many of the most beloved characters in the history of the franchise; many of which are still immensely popular today even in the face of countless new movies arriving in theaters from the collection.
In the Star Wars: Classic Collection release, the New Zealand Mint offers silver and gold coins without colorized finishes to honor the original trilogy of films. Although there are a number of coins that have been released in this collection, examples of figures you will notice in the series include Yoda, R2-D2, and others.
From the first issue of New Zealand Mint Chibi Coins, the diverse characters of the Star Wars franchise proved a popular design concept. Star Wars Chibi Coins have been issued for characters across the spectrum of Star Wars media, from the original trilogy to the sequel trilogy, the Mandalorian, and Tales of Boba Fett.
Silver Star Wars coins from the New Zealand Mint are issued for the nation of Niue. The island nation is located in the South Pacific Ocean, roughly 1,500 miles northeast of the nation of New Zealand, east of Tonga, south of Samoa, and west of the Cook Islands. The island itself is just 100 square miles in size and has a predominantly Polynesian population of around 1,190 people.
Niue occupies a unique niche in the world order. The nation is a self-governing state that exists in free association with New Zealand. The vast majority of diplomatic relations for Niue are handled by the nation of New Zealand on behalf of the people of Niue, and the populace are citizens of New Zealand with Queen Elizabeth II serving as head of state in the capacity of Queen of New Zealand.
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.
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