Time for the first batch of Chibi coins for June and perennial Star Wars favourite Obi Wan Kenobi undoubtedly takes pride of place. The Star Wars sub-series has easily been the best selling to date, so its no surprise to find out this one is already pretty unobtainable. If you can pick one up, its bound to be a hit on the aftermarket. The other issue is the third in the Disney-themed ‘Mickey & Friends’ sub-series. Daisy Duck joins Mickey & Minnie Mouse, in this set. If its your thing, these look very well realised. They both have a 2,000 mintage and a retail price of $99.00 USD, along with some excellent presentation. It’s easy to see why these are so popular, rapidly closing in on the 40th issue in little over a year! Check out the whole NZ Mint Star Wars range in our Thematic Guide.

However, the big news this month is the NZ Mint’s new premium number selection. The video below lays out the concept, but basically, the mint is packaging serial numbers 1 to 200 in acrylic boxes with a special ‘authentication’ which seems to consist of a sticker with a hologram. Reaction to the video has not been positive and we agree. If they’d taken the first 25, for example, that’s fine(ish), but the first 200, which are randomly sent out (you can’t pick a number), is a huge overkill. The coins are not graded and as the standard packaging is authenticated with a certificate like all their coins, one wonders on the point of it. The price of $199.00 USD is double the norm and for a plastic box…  A rare mistep for the mint, in my opinion.

LINKS: NZ MINT WEBSTORE