The Pacific island nation of Niue is about to issue $2 coins as legal tender with images of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Darth Vader.
It will be the first time characters from the legendary film series Star Wars - which has influenced literature, music, toys and popular culture for decades - will have appeared on legal tender.
But the 2000 residents of Niue, which uses New Zealand currency, will be the only people allowed to use the $NZ2 coin as legitimate money.
With an actual value of more than $100, and made of silver worth $40 alone, the coins are unlikely to be seen down at the local shops.
"You wouldn't want to go and spend them because they're only worth $2 but the value is much more than that," New Zealand Mint Vice President of USA Operations Chris Kirkness told Fairfax New Zealand.
"No one is going to go buy an ice cream with them."
The coin set, which includes eight one-ounce silver coins and 10 silver-plated metal coins, has colour images of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and other Star Wars characters.
The Niuean government effigy will be embossed on the coins and the heavily aid-dependent nation will get an undisclosed royalty payment from New Zealand Mint for its involvement in the project.
The set will retail for about $450 and is expected to be hugely popular with both coin collectors and Star Wars devotees worldwide.
Only 7500 copies of each coin will be made, with the first sets to be made available in November.
Themed sets will include a Darth Vader coin box fitted with the character's signature deep-breathing sound and a Millennium Falcon box that makes the noise of jet taking off when opened.
But the 2000 residents of Niue, which uses New Zealand currency, will be the only people allowed to use the $NZ2 coin as legitimate money.
With an actual value of more than $100, and made of silver worth $40 alone, the coins are unlikely to be seen down at the local shops.
"You wouldn't want to go and spend them because they're only worth $2 but the value is much more than that," New Zealand Mint Vice President of USA Operations Chris Kirkness told Fairfax New Zealand.
"No one is going to go buy an ice cream with them."
The coin set, which includes eight one-ounce silver coins and 10 silver-plated metal coins, has colour images of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and other Star Wars characters.
The Niuean government effigy will be embossed on the coins and the heavily aid-dependent nation will get an undisclosed royalty payment from New Zealand Mint for its involvement in the project.
The set will retail for about $450 and is expected to be hugely popular with both coin collectors and Star Wars devotees worldwide.
Only 7500 copies of each coin will be made, with the first sets to be made available in November.
Themed sets will include a Darth Vader coin box fitted with the character's signature deep-breathing sound and a Millennium Falcon box that makes the noise of jet taking off when opened.
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