Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Collectible Star Wars legal tender coins announced!


New Zealand Mint passes along an announcement of a very cool new line of Star Wars coins! Read on for the full media release.


"One of cinema’s most enduring and beloved franchises, the Star Wars Saga has made its imprint on books, TV, toys, soft goods, kitchen wares, video games, comic books and much, much more—but never as a legal tender coin set available in the U.S. 
Until now!"



"One of cinema’s most enduring and beloved franchises, the Star Wars Saga has made its imprint on books, TV, toys, soft goods, kitchen wares, video games, comic books and much, much more—but never as a legal tender coin set available in the U.S.

Until now!



After obtaining the rights to this incredible property, S&A Partners turned to the only mint in the world with the creative know-how and resources to manufacture sets of gold, silver and base metal coins featuring the characters from this hugely popular series. And now, New Zealand’s precious metal specialist, New Zealand Mint, has been commissioned to manufacture legal tender coins for the successful franchise.

“When discussing the marketing potential of this property — the enthusiasm and willingness to share information and ideas made the decision to work with the New Zealand Mint an easy choice,” said Steven Harris, Managing Partner at S&A.

The first Star Wars coins to be released are scheduled for launch in August at the American Numismatics Association Show in Chicago, and will include eight 1oz silver coins and 10 Silver Plated base metal coins depicting the characters of the Star Wars movies. The effigy used for these coins will be the Government of Niue.

Further releases are planned annually, into the first half of 2014.

The timing couldn’t be better according to New Zealand Mint Vice President of USA Operations, Chris Kirkness. 

“Lucasfilm is launching the complete Star Wars Saga on Blu-ray in September this year. Plus, in February of 2012 they will be releasing Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace in 3D, so there’s a lot happening around the franchise,” said Kirkness. “The coin programme release will coincide with this global activity and it’s tipped to be a best-seller. Of course, we are absolutely delighted to be involved with such an amazing franchise.”

Harris added, “The presentation and packaging developed by New Zealand Mint is always clever and such high-quality. We look forward to working with them to offer an incredible set of products that will definitely ’wow’ both Star Wars fans and the entire coin-collecting community!”

Star Wars devotees can get their coin fix in August from:
·         the NZ Mint website: www.newzealandmint.com/starwars
·         New Zealand Mint, PO Box 9260, Newmarket, Auckland 1149, New Zealand or
·         by email: sales@newzealandmint.com

Coins will also be available for purchase through several international coin distributors.

About the Coins:
The first release includes two (2) uniquely packaged 4 x 1oz Silver coin sets and 10 individual Silver Plated base metal coins.

Darth Vader 4 x 1oz Silver coin set
Open the unique Darth Vader case and hear the authentic sound effects of Darth Vader breathing.  The 1oz Silver coins in the set include images of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, the Death Star and a Storm Trooper.

Packaging prototype only

Coin Specifications – 1oz Silver Coins
Weight & Purity
1oz Fine Silver 999
Country of origin
Niue
Year of issue
2011
Denomination
$2.00
Diameter
40mm
Finish
Proof Like
Number of designs
8
Mintage per design
7,500

Millennium Falcon 4 x 1oz Silver coin set
Open the Millennium Falcon case and hear the authentic sound effects of the ship’s iconic, “Jump to light speed”.  The 1oz Silver coins in the set include images of Luke Skywalker / Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi / Yoda, R2-D2 / C-3PO, and Han Solo / Chewbacca.


Packaging prototype only



Coin Specifications – 1oz Silver Coins
Weight & Purity
1oz Fine Silver 999
Country of origin
Niue
Year of issue
2011
Denomination
$2.00
Diameter
40mm
Finish
Proof Like
Number of designs
8
Mintage per design
7,500

Silver Plated base metal individual coins
The Silver Plated base metal coins are sold individually and packaged in a blister pack.  The individual coins are images of C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader and Yoda.




Coin Specifications – Silver Plated base metal
Metal
Silver Plated / CuZn
Country of origin
Niue
Year of issue
2011
Denomination
$1.00
Diameter
40mm
Finish
Brilliant Uncirculated
Number of designs
10
Mintage per design
50,000

About The New Zealand Mint: The New Zealand Mint has been minting legal tender commemorative coins, gold bullion and medallions for more than four decades. As New Zealand's only precious metal mint and one of the first world mints to adopt the .9999 standard for gold coin purity, New Zealand Mint prides itself on high quality design and production work. In 2009, New Zealand Mint opened the Bullion Exchange, the first of its kind in New Zealand which offers a comprehensive service for buying and selling gold and silver bullion as well as on-site insured storage. Leading the way with innovative coloured, silver and gold commemorative coins, New Zealand Mint is known globally for quality and design excellence. New Zealand Mint also produces several ranges of jewellery that cater to many tastes and styles, including the Boh Runga and Trelise Cooper for New Zealand Mint collections.

About S&A Partners:  S & A Partners is a leading licensing, marketing and manufacturing company specializing in products for the collectible coin industry. Working directly with overseas manufacturing facilities, S&A offers expertise in injection-moulded and vacuum-formed plastic parts, wood and MDF accessories, as well as offset lithography. With significant ties to the entertainment industry, and an in-depth knowledge of the product licensing process, S&A has played a critical role in the development of some of the most recognizable accessory products in today’s collectible coin industry."

No comments:

Post a Comment