South Pacific Island To Use Star Wars Coins As Currency? Or Just As A Publicity Stunt?

from the does-george-lucas-get-a-cut? dept

The islands of the South Pacific have some odd views on currency. In the past, we've discussed how the Island of Yap famously used massive immovable stones as its currency. And now the island of Niue is prepared to recognize collectible Star Wars coins as official currency. Of course, the whole thing seems more like a publicity stunt by the New Zealand Mint, which is making these coins. They're still being sold at collectible prices -- meaning coins with a face value of $1 (New Zealand) will actually sell for $23.50 NZ. So even as they'll be recognized as legal currency in Niue (but not New Zealand), it seems unlikely that anyone will use them as such, as their face value will be significantly below their market value.
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Filed Under: currency, new zealand, niue, star wars


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  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 18 Aug 2011 @ 10:37pm

    How much goes to George Lucas?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 19 Aug 2011 @ 12:35am

    Re:

    And will it be enough to knock the tower over on top of him.

    I guess these are better than many of the other coins advertised on late night, these have actual value somewhere.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    G Thompson (profile), 19 Aug 2011 @ 2:09am

    Strong Numismatics be this one yes?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Ben, 19 Aug 2011 @ 4:33am

    These aren't the coins your looking for. Go about your business. Move along.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 19 Aug 2011 @ 5:04am

    A sad day for us all

    The New Zealand Mint regrets to inform customers that the coins are NOT edible.

    The restatement of fact was made after Jar Jar Binks was discovered unresponsive in a hotel room in Niue, after having ingested several handful of the coins he mistook for candy.

    No one bothered to try and resuscitate him, keeping with the public's wishes.

    Jar Jar will be remembered in death as he was in life.
    The plan calls for poor children to use him as a pinata to release the coins into the local economy.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    AJBarnes, 19 Aug 2011 @ 5:28am

    Medium of Exchange

    As long as the item has perceived value to the people using it as a means of exchange, it shouldn't matter what the medium is. At least, that's what the economists say.

    However, since we've changed in the US to eliminate gold as the medium for exchange, I'm beginning to wonder if that's still a valid principle. Yes, to rational humans, any item of worth can be used as a medium of exchange. What screws it up is politicians getting their fingers in the pie and bastardizing the medium, which should have intrinsic value, to further their political gains. If they can print as much of it as they want, or limit it's availability, then we have the games we're playing today.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. icon
    The Vandals (profile), 19 Aug 2011 @ 8:29am

    Yap

    Thanks for mentioning Yap. I try to tell people at that place but people think I'm nuts.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    bdhoro (profile), 19 Aug 2011 @ 10:53am

    What's the difference between that and pennies?

    Hey, the face value of a penny is worth less than the metal it's made of but that hasn't stopped us from using it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. icon
    ps2os2 (profile), 21 Aug 2011 @ 9:16pm

    YAP Currency

    They just found Jimmy Hoffa under the 100 yap piece.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    mike, 31 Aug 2011 @ 4:34pm

    how will the resale be on the 1 oz silver coin. good or bad buy?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    lrobbo (profile), 12 Jun 2012 @ 10:10am

    A very valid point about the penny there.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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