太平洋岛国发新币 女王与星战人物同登场

　　Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda and a cast of other heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away, will join the Queen on coins issued by the South Pacific island state of Niue。

　　Niue, a remote Polynesian state of only 1,400 people, is producing a set of 40 coins. While Star Wars characters are depicted in colour on the reverse of the new coins, a traditional effigy of the Queen by the sculptor Raphael Maklouf dominates the obverse。

　　As legal tender, the coins will have a face value of NZ$2 (£1)， but the silver content in each is worth considerably more than that。

　　Sets of four, each containing 1oz of silver, will sell for NZ$469 (£235)。

　　Others struck in silver-plated base metal will cost much less。

　　The coins are primarily aimed at collectors and investors around the world in a bid to boost Niue's flagging government coffers。

　　"You wouldn't want to go and spend them because they're only worth $2, but the value is much more than that," said Chris Kirkness of the New Zealand Mint。

　　"Traditionally, who would buy these would be coin collectors, but this product opens up the market as a gift product for enthusiasts of Star Wars," he said。

　　Star Wars rapidly developed a cult following after first appearing on cinema screens in May 1977, and spawned a huge merchandising industry。

　　Underlining the target market, the first issue goes on display at the American Numismatics Association's show in Chicago next week。

　　Further coins will be released until 2014.