DISNEY CLASSICS: STEAMBOAT WILLIE (2020, NZ Mint)
You have to go back six years for the first New Zealand Mint Disney coin. They chose the original Mickey Mouse short, Steamboat Willie, and it came in a full range of sizes up to a staggering kilo of gold. Now the subject is back for a reissue in amore limited form. There are very few changes to the design, just the expected inscriptions showing difference.
This time the range is limited to a ¼oz gold (100 mintage, $750), a 1oz gold (50, $2,900)and a 1oz silver (1,928, $85), all proof finished. Packaging remains great qulaity and understated and all variants are available now. While the gold versions have a very low mintage, it’s a shame to see a straight reissue rather than a new design. If you missed out back in 2014, this is a second chnace to get what is a great looking coin (check out our AgAuShoot of the original 1kg gold), but we hope this isn’t the start of a new trend of rehashing old designs.
Extremely disappointed that Niue just duplicated a 2014 collector coin release. This in my opinion devalues the previous 2014 coin and opens the door for this becoming a pattern of re-issuing the previous collector coins under the guise ‘special release’. How many special releases for this coin and other Niue coins are to follow? It dilutes the mintage and entire point of something being collectible. Very disappointed. At least make the coin substantially different. I will think twice now about the “collectible value” of a Niue coin as they now seem less collectible.
Agreed. There’s enough Disney imagery to make reissues entirely unnecessary.
Comparing the 2020 1/4oz vs the 2014 1/4oz the coins do look different. The 2020 is not as thick, it has been flattened to become a bit wider for more surface area for the coin image. I like the look of the 2014 much better.
True, there’s a 1.4 mm increase in diameter. I believe the 2014 coin was struck for them by the Perth Mint as that’s a standard size there. I don’t know who does the now.