Pay For Your Lunch with Darth Vader's Face

[Marshall Honorof]

Pay For Your Lunch with Darth Vader's Face

Star Wars coins can be used as actual currency, thanks to the New Zealand Mint


Star Wars is full of dynamic pairings: Han Solo and Chewbacca. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yoda and Queen Elizabeth II. Thanks to a collaboration between the New Zealand Mint and the South Pacific island nation of Niue, a series of 40 coins with Star Wars designs will be available from late 2011 through 2014. Since these coins come from the New Zealand mint, they are actual legal tender with a value of $2 NZ ($1.66 USD) each - and yes, each coin has a picture of Queen Elizabeth II on the reverse side.


Niue, which is home to only 1,400 people, might seem like an odd place for these items to crop up. However, a financially-unsteady government combined with a keen eye for the collector's market makes Star Wars and Niue go together like C-3PO and R2-D2. "Traditionally, who would buy these would be coin collectors," said Chris Kirkness from the New Zealand Mint, discussing the issue with the Fairfax Newspapers (New Zealand) website. "But this product opens up the market as a gift product and for enthusiasts of Star Wars. You know Star Wars if you're seven or 70."


Even though the coins are worth only $2 NZ, don't expect to start receiving them as change at grocery stores. Each set of four coins contains an ounce of silver and will retail for $469 NZ ($388.71 USD). "They're only worth $2, but the value is much more than that," explained Kirkness. "No one is going to go buy an ice-cream with them." Nevertheless, since the coins are products of the New Zealand Mint, any enterprising New Zealander could pay for his next bottle of soda with a Darth Vader coin.

Interested numismatists (coin-collectors) can find more information at the New Zealand Mint's website. As usual, Princess Leia called this one back in 1977: "If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive."


Source: The Telegraph [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8694544/Queen-to-share-Pacific-nations-coins-with-Star-Wars-characters.html]

Permalink

 

[Sougo]

So the coin is worth more if you melt it down and extract the silver?

Oh bravo

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

The Face is Strong with this one.

 

[Panzervaughn]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

 

[Captain Bobbossa]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

Mabye it's about time they did put Jesus on the nickle then?

 

[BlumiereBleck]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

Mabye it's about time they did put Jesus on the nickle then?

YEAH!!!!! But not in the States

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

So the coin is worth more if you melt it down and extract the silver?

Oh bravo

No, it would be worth more if you sold it at an auction rather than use it to buy bubble gum. The fact their are legal tender somewhere is just to add to the value over other Star Wars coins well over just the $2 amount it is legally worth.

 

[Panzervaughn]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

Mabye it's about time they did put Jesus on the nickle then?

That sounds like something that wouldn't really fly with him, you'd have to put him on... bread.. or something.

 

[Panzervaughn]

So the coin is worth more if you melt it down and extract the silver?

Oh bravo

No, it would be worth more if you sold it at an auction rather than use it to buy bubble gum. The fact their are legal tender somewhere is just to add to the value over other Star Wars coins well over just the $2 amount it is legally worth.

Like, if you vendored an item for 5silver, or put it on the AuctionHouse for 50gold

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

So the coin is worth more if you melt it down and extract the silver?

Oh bravo

No, it would be worth more if you sold it at an auction rather than use it to buy bubble gum. The fact their are legal tender somewhere is just to add to the value over other Star Wars coins well over just the $2 amount it is legally worth.

Like, if you vendored an item for 5silver, or put it on the AuctionHouse for 50gold

Sorry, I don't understand, can you explain what you mean by that?

 

[alrekr]

Just like to say don't get any smart ideas about smelting down the coins as in most countries it is illegal to deface currency.

For example in UK there was a point when a two pence coin was worth more than two pence in scrap; however melting the coin down is illegal (not just for currency control but also something to do with old laws about defacing images of the Queen).

 

[Panzervaughn]

So the coin is worth more if you melt it down and extract the silver?

Oh bravo

No, it would be worth more if you sold it at an auction rather than use it to buy bubble gum. The fact their are legal tender somewhere is just to add to the value over other Star Wars coins well over just the $2 amount it is legally worth.

Like, if you vendored an item for 5silver, or put it on the AuctionHouse for 50gold

Sorry, I don't understand, can you explain what you mean by that?

I translate things into Warcraft terms, because they make more sense to me then, its a problem.


Coin(Bear Liver) could be worth $2(5silver) to the official people. But on an open market, people that are looking to collect(craft with) that bearlivercoin would pay more.

 

[manythings]

So the coin is worth more if you melt it down and extract the silver?

Oh bravo

Except it would be reall dumb/ostentatious to use it as currency/melt it down. It's a collectible. Buy and store it for forty years and, assuming civilisation hasn't collapsed, and they'll be worth far more to the most ravenous nerds.

 

[gabe12301]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

Mabye it's about time they did put Jesus on the nickle then?

YEAH!!!!! But not in the States

yea The U.S. would have a panic attack over it.

 

[Duskflamer]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

Mabye it's about time they did put Jesus on the nickle then?

YEAH!!!!! But not in the States

Yes in the states, but not the nickle. We need to have one of those series of Quarters, like they did with the president, but with people like Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Buddah, and other religious figures.

I see no reason why anyone would backlash against this idea

 

[BlumiereBleck]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

Mabye it's about time they did put Jesus on the nickle then?

YEAH!!!!! But not in the States

Yes in the states, but not the nickle. We need to have one of those series of Quarters, like they did with the president, but with people like Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Buddah, and other religious figures.

I see no reason why anyone would backlash against this idea

As much as i would love to see them on the quarters here in the States, the atheist groups would get to upset and claim a lot of stuff.

 

[ACman]

So the coin is worth more if you melt it down and extract the silver?

Oh bravo

No, it would be worth more if you sold it at an auction rather than use it to buy bubble gum. The fact their are legal tender somewhere is just to add to the value over other Star Wars coins well over just the $2 amount it is legally worth.

They're being sold for NZ$469 for four. I don't think anybody is going to melt them for the silver.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

I think the fact that Jedi is the second largest religion might actually be the cause of this.
And I find that awesome.

 

[Smithburg]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

Mabye it's about time they did put Jesus on the nickle then?

YEAH!!!!! But not in the States

Yes in the states, but not the nickle. We need to have one of those series of Quarters, like they did with the president, but with people like Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Buddah, and other religious figures.

I see no reason why anyone would backlash against this idea

As much as i would love to see them on the quarters here in the States, the atheist groups would get to upset and claim a lot of stuff.

We could have one for the athiests too, just make a quarter with nothing on it lol

 

[Panzervaughn]

With "Jedi" being the second largest religion in NZ, isnt this like putting jesus on the Nickel?

I think the fact that Jedi is the second largest religion might actually be the cause of this.
And I find that awesome.

I looked up the census information about that a little while after i posted, and sadly its more of a technicality.
-Christian: 58.9%
-No religion: 29.6%
-Object to answering: 6.9%
-Jedi: 1.5%
-Buddhism: 1.2%
-Hindu: 1.2%
Like promising you the 'second biggest' piece of pie, then shoving the entire thing in my mouth and flicking crumbs at you.