New Zealand Mint Issues $2 Transformers Coins

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
45,698
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New Zealand Mint Issues $2 Transformers Coins


The New Zealand Mint's new limited-edition currency will add an interesting twist to coin tosses: heads, you win, tails, Megatron!

Currency typically features a past or present head of state on one side and an image representative of some aspect of the nation in question on the other. Here in Canada, for instance, our coins are emblazoned with an image of the Queen and then a moose, a beaver, the Bluenose and that sort of thing on the opposite side. We even got glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116836-Canada-Gets-Glow-in-the-Dark-Dinosaur-Coins] once.

But in New Zealand, they get Megatron.

Yes, yes, Optimus Prime is there too, but let's face it, he's the heroic sort and in that sense isn't all that terribly unusual a choice to appear on a coin. But slapping the image of a guy determined to enslave the entire planet, suck its resources dry and then blow it up on official state currency? Now that is cool.

Not that anyone is too likely to pump either Megs or Prime into a machine at the local laundromat. The coins have a face value of NZ$2 ($1.67) but sell for NZ$278.73 ($234) plus shipping for the set. That's a lot of coin for a couple of coins, but on the upside, they feature the "classic" versions of the two great Cybertronian leaders and not the sharp-edged messes cooked up by Michael Bay. They're even in color!

The New Zealand Mint's Transformers coins come in unlockable display cubes embossed with Autobot and Decepticon logos. They are in fact legal tender but only 5000 are being made, so if you want one and that fills you with a sense of urgency, you can put down a preorder with non-transforming money at nzmint.com [http://www.nzmint.com/coins/shop-online/transformers-1oz-silver-2-coin-set].

UPDATE: It's been brought to my attention that the "New Zealand Mint" is not the New Zealand Mint and that while these coins are legal tender, they are only so on the island of Nieu [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ne.html], located in the South Pacific about 1500 miles northeast of New Zealand. For those interested in such things, the Nieu dollar is pegged to the New Zealand dollar.

It's a fascinating and perplexing situation, but in any event, I apologize for the confusion and maintain that a legal tender Megatron coin is very cool.


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Berithil

Maintenence Man of the Universe
Mar 19, 2009
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J.J. Abrams?

Am I missing something, because I'm pretty sure that's Michael Bay.

Anyways, pretty fancy coins NZ has there. We don't really get anything that cool here in the states. Sure, we get limited mint coins that are unique, but they're not as cool as that.
 

CadeDrake

New member
Mar 18, 2009
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If these are anything like those colored Obama coins from a few years back the buyers should be careful, they ended up being regular coins with stickers on them.
 

1337mokro

New member
Dec 24, 2008
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That's it. Soon as I am done with my studies I'm moving to fucking New Zealand. It seems to be nerd paradise.

Also Andy... for the love of the All Spark... do research before posting something. The amount of mistakes in your posts are borderline of what I would fire someone for.

You are lucky this is an online thing and not an actual paper because otherwise you would have just printed an article in hundreds of thousands of papers that said "JJ Abrams directed the Transformers movies in 2007!".

A google search could have fixed this. It's Michael Bay.
 

Section Crow

Infamous Scribbler for Life
Aug 26, 2009
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I have a strong feeling in my gut that one day i will buy those coins... but not this day, for now they shall elude me

So damn awesome, especially since they used the classic characters that bring up those beautiful childhood memories.
 

Shaidz

New member
Jul 8, 2012
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WTF Really? How did i not know about this, NZ is a strange place to live in -_-"
 

xyphoid

New member
Feb 7, 2013
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These coins are NOT New Zealand currency.

New Zealand Mint is a private company, these coins are Niue legal tender.

They're roughly as official as .ly domains are Libyan.
 

Pheonixe

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Aug 23, 2010
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xyphoid said:
These coins are NOT New Zealand currency.

New Zealand Mint is a private company, these coins are Niue legal tender.

They're roughly as official as .ly domains are Libyan.
I thought something was fishy with this story. I can't imagine a country like New Zealand actually using official legal currency as advertising space.

New Zealand Mint [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Mint] is a private company that specializes in manufacturing commemorative coins. These coins are legal tender only in the small island country of Niue [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niue], and good luck actually getting them converted into anything.

As quoted from the source page:
The coin is issued by New Zealand Mint as legal tender, under the authority of Niue Island.
Misleading Escapist titles strike again, only this time they've infected the entire article.
 

iniudan

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Apr 27, 2011
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CadeDrake said:
If these are anything like those colored Obama coins from a few years back the buyers should be careful, they ended up being regular coins with stickers on them.
That because US has no expertise in making money, you have the most dull looking money in the world after all. =p
 

Draconalis

Elite Member
Sep 11, 2008
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I want these SOOOOO bad... but my grandfather is a serious coin collector and told me all about buying directly from the mint. Now I can't bring myself to pay for more than the value of the silver in the coin...

(The mint doesn't sell at a profit)
 

bananafishtoday

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Nov 30, 2012
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Anyway, if New Zealand were to actually put an entertainment property on their coins, we all know it'd be Lord of the Rings.
 

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
45,698
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Berithil said:
J.J. Abrams?
Ugh. Seriously, my brain said Michael Bay. My fingers, sometimes they do their own thing. Change has been made, thanks for pointing out the rather glaring brain fart.
 

aelreth

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Dec 26, 2012
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While you can exchange these coins for their market value (Melt value in metal), these things are so overpriced that you will always find yourself at a loss.

They have some great designs (I shop here [not the new zealand coins though] http://www.gainesvillecoins.com/category/427/new-zealand-mint-silver-collectibles.aspx) but they make these things so expensive they are cost prohibitive.

On the other hand, Canada puts out these wildlife coins (just a collectible silver maple) that are actually 1 cent more expensive than the silver eagles. (http://www.gainesvillecoins.com/products/163394/2013-1-oz-silver-canadian-wood-bison-wildlife-series.aspx) they also have a higher face value $5 CAD (which is near parity) vs $1 USD for the eagles. Canadian silver purity is .9999 vs American .999.

If New Zealand wanted to be taken seriously (and end up having me cough up 5k a year to them) they could find an animal that appeals to the demographics that buys them, and sell them at $3 over the spot price.
 

Strazdas

Robots will replace your job
May 28, 2011
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What if i dont like transformers?
Im glad this is limited edition even though i do like nerdy things on money usually.
 

Lizardon

Robot in Disguise
Mar 22, 2010
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bananafishtoday said:
Anyway, if New Zealand were to actually put an entertainment property on their coins, we all know it'd be Lord of the Rings.
Pheonixe said:
I thought something was fishy with this story. I can't imagine a country like New Zealand actually using official legal currency as advertising space.

Yeah LOTR currency is a thing in New Zealand. Some were made when the first trilogy came out, and now more have been minted for The Hobbit.

Anyway those Transformers coins are incredibly awesome, just not worth the asking price.

Also something about Niue and currency set of a spark in my head, I knew that I had read something about them putting something ridiculous like this on coins before. So a quick Google search later

So this is a place when you can buy things with Pokemon and Transformers. Why do people live anywhere else?!