Mother of Pearl 5 Oz Lunar series

[LongJohnSilver]

I love these coins, the Dragon (which was Fiji) and the two Cook Islands Snake and Horse along with the Nautillus, Zeppelin and Titanic (The latter also Fiji)

 

I'd say this Horse was my favourite Lunar of that year but no matter how hard I try I have still found it difficult to get a few questions answered which have been bugging me.

 

Firstly, does anyoine know who mints these on behalf of CI and Fiji?  I would have thought NZ mint but there's nothing on their site

 

Secondly, and perhaps more intriguingly, I'm assuming the Fiji Dragon is considered the same series as ther Cook Islands Snake and Horse because they are all similarly breathtaking and very similar in design however does anyone know why they changed from Fiji to Cook Islands?

 

Any help or even crackpot theories would be welcome.

[StackemHigh]

The Fiji to cook islands situation could be because of the political situation in Fiji recently! Fiji has been quite unstable in recent years and i belive it has had membership to the commonwealth revoked.

[ArthGoch]

I love these coins, the Dragon (which was Fiji) and the two Cook Islands Snake and Horse along with the Nautillus, Zeppelin and Titanic (The latter also Fiji)

 

I'd say this Horse was my favourite Lunar of that year but no matter how hard I try I have still found it difficult to get a few questions answered which have been bugging me.

 

Firstly, does anyoine know who mints these on behalf of CI and Fiji?  I would have thought NZ mint but there's nothing on their site

 

Secondly, and perhaps more intriguingly, I'm assuming the Fiji Dragon is considered the same series as ther Cook Islands Snake and Horse because they are all similarly breathtaking and very similar in design however does anyone know why they changed from Fiji to Cook Islands?

 

Any help or even crackpot theories would be welcome.

 

Have bought three of these; (Titanic, Zepp' and Horse). Agree with you assessment the horse is a stunning piece of artwork and IMO is one of, if not the most beautiful coins that has been made.

 

It was explained to me by Apmex that the coins are, as you believed, produced by the New Zealand Mint but is subject to a media embargo due to the fact that design, distribution and sales rights do not belong to the mint but rest with a group comprising of designers, dealers, and other invested stakeholders. Thus I suppose the coin 'owners' can as they wish move the production to another mint. Even though I have no reason to doubt Apmex's word, the coins to me seem to be more in the style and quality of the Mint of Poland who are generally more innovative, but besides gut feeling there is no way to quantify this; (may be Mennica are a stakeholder?) 

 

On the second point I  have also questioned why the change in countries. The answer that I was given was that the Reserve Bank of Fiji was clamping down on purported legal tender that had not been approved. For this to be approved the coin certification should carry or portray official Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) authentication. I can only assume that the coin owners decided that there was no value in this, and thus moved to the designation of the Cook Islands. Also as Stack 'em High mentioned, being kicked out of the Commonwealth cannot have done their cause a world of good. 

 

Hope this helps piece together some of the mystery 

 

If you win the lottery; treat yourself and give the $50 silver a miss and go for the $1000 dollar in gold. Only 25 of each design has been made and a snip ( tongue in cheek)  at around $13,000 per coin

[ChrisSilver]

Just my opinion but I think these coins would look better in natural mother of pearl rather than colorised.

[LongJohnSilver]

Just my opinion but I think these coins would look better in natural mother of pearl rather than colorised.

Would have thought so too but in the 'flesh' they are utterly stunning in colour. Helps with the holograph effect and contrast.

[LongJohnSilver]

Have bought three of these; (Titanic, Zepp' and Horse). Agree with you assessment the horse is a stunning piece of artwork and IMO is one of, if not the most beautiful coins that has been made.

It was explained to me by Apmex that the coins are, as you believed, produced by the New Zealand Mint but is subject to a media embargo due to the fact that design, distribution and sales rights do not belong to the mint but rest with a group comprising of designers, dealers, and other invested stakeholders. Thus I suppose the coin 'owners' can as they wish move the production to another mint. Even though I have no reason to doubt Apmex's word, the coins to me seem to be more in the style and quality of the Mint of Poland who are generally more innovative, but besides gut feeling there is no way to quantify this; (may be Mennica are a stakeholder?)

On the second point I have also questioned why the change in countries. The answer that I was given was that the Reserve Bank of Fiji was clamping down on purported legal tender that had not been approved. For this to be approved the coin certification should carry or portray official Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) authentication. I can only assume that the coin owners decided that there was no value in this, and thus moved to the designation of the Cook Islands. Also as Stack 'em High mentioned, being kicked out of the Commonwealth cannot have done their cause a world of good.

Hope this helps piece together some of the mystery

If you win the lottery; treat yourself and give the $50 silver a miss and go for the $1000 dollar in gold. Only 25 of each design has been made and a snip ( tongue in cheek) at around $13,000 per coin

Wow, helpful doesn't begin to describe how good that reply is. Cap doffed regarding your knowledge .