Star Wars Ships bows out after six coins with Darth Vader’s TIE/Advanced fighter blueprint
Star Wars Ships is a coloured silver coin series from the New Zealand Mint that debuted earlier this year and with the release of this sixth coin, is coming to an end. Depicting iconic vessels from the huge variety that populate the Star Wars universe, it does so by eschewing action scenes and choosing instead to feature them in blueprint form.
Simple designs, colour doing most of the work in the design, these are coins for the more hard-core fan than the character-based Classic Star Wars coins. Struck in an ounce of fine 0.999 silver, the obverse of this Niue-issued coin is the standard Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. This time out it’s Darth Vaders personal starfighter, the TIE Advanced, that’s the subject of choice.
Mintage is again limited to 10,000 pieces and the packaging is of a good quality – an understated themed black box with a certificate of authenticity. Selling for $80.00 USD, it will be available later today from the New Zealand Mints estore, or from several of our sponsors worldwide.
2017 STAR WARS SHIPS~: TIE ADVANCED SILVER COIN
MINTS DESCRIPTION
Designed and manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems, the TIE Advanced X1 was a state of the art starfighter, a prototype of which was piloted by Darth Vader at the Battle of Yavin. The prototype was damaged when it collided with a TIE/LN that had been hit by fire from the Millenium Falcon.
Boasting greater firepower featuring fixed-mounted twin blaster cannons and a cluster missile launcher, a hyperdrive and a deflector shield generator, the TIE Advanced was a big step up from the standard TIE/LN. At 11.05 metres in length and standing 6.28 metres high, this compact fighter could reach 1,200 km/h in a planetary atmosphere. Its class-4 hyperdrive was limited to a maximum of ten jumps.
While never making it into full-scale production, elements of the ship appeared in multiple TIE models in the following period. Small numbers were manufactured, but excessive cost and a limited desire for hyperdrive-equipped fighters saw the Empire move on to other designs. The TIE/IN interceptor, which incorporated the TIE Advanced x1’s drive system, but lacked the shields and the hyperdrive, was purchased in large numbers. Very fast and maneuverable, the TIE/IN was considerably cheaper to acquire and more in line with Empire combat techniques.
SPECIFICATION
| NAME | 2017 STAR WARS SHIPS |
| DENOMINATION | $2 New Zealand |
| COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver |
| WEIGHT | 31.1 grams |
| DIAMETER | 40.00 mm |
| FINISH | Proof |
| MODIFICATIONS | Colour |
| MINTAGE | 10,000 |
| BOX / COA | Yes / Yes |
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