The Pacific island of Niue is raising revenue through legal tender coins that have Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on one side and Disney characters on the other.
Earlier this year, the island reached an agreement with the New Zealand Mint to make collector’s editions of the island’s currency, with the deal being worth as much as $6 million Australian dollars (£3.3 million) over the next decade.
Under the terms of the agreement, the island is to get a royalty payment every time one of the Mickey Mouse one-dollar Christmas coins is sold to a collector, ABC Radio Australia reports.
The reason why the Queen has been chosen to appear on the coins in the first place is because Niue – a self-governing state – is associated with New Zealand, where Queen Elizabeth is the monarch.
Niue Premier Toke Talagi conceded that while the coins are likely to raise the island’s global profile, there is little chance that it will lead to a much sought-after spike in tourist numbers.
The island did something similar in 2011, when the Queen was joined by the likes of Darth Vader in a range of collective coins that celebrated the ‘Star Wars’ franchise.
Queen’s head appears on collectible coins
