Here we go, collectors:
Yes, a nation is issuing real, legal-tender Star Wars coins: Yoda, Luke, Darth Vader, Leia, Han Solo and more, all memorialized on coins from a real country of which you’ve probably never heard. The characters are on the back (and the Queen on the front) of coins issued by the island of Niue in the South Pacific, and they’ll have a face value of NZ$2 (US$1.65) but contain silver worth more than that in each coin, so it’ll cost you NZ$469 (US$388) for a set of four. They’re intended to raise money for the cash-strapped island government, the last scheme of which was a Prince WIlliam and Kate stamp that had perforations down the middle, potentially splitting the happy couple and raising the ire of some folks.
If you need to see the Star Wars coins in person, go to the American Numismatics Association’s show in Chicago next week. They’ll be there. And you can find out more here.
