Niue's legal tender collector coins are issued under a longstanding licensing arrangement that lets the tiny Pacific island nation — population under 2,000 — monetize its sovereignty by lending its authority to foreign mints producing pieces that will never circulate on the island. This particular issue is part of a series pairing the denomination with famous paintings, here Van Gogh's 1889 canvas completed while he was voluntarily committed at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Gold-plated bronze in this format is essentially a medallic product dressed in coin clothing. Van Gogh painted the original in oil on canvas measuring 73.7 × 92.1 cm — now permanently housed at MoMA since 1941.
Niue's legal tender collector coins are issued under a longstanding licensing arrangement that lets the tiny Pacific island nation — population under 2,000 — monetize its sovereignty by lending its authority to foreign mints producing pieces that will never circulate on the island. This particular issue is part of a series pairing the denomination with famous paintings, here Van Gogh's 1889 canvas completed while he was voluntarily committed at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Gold-plated bronze in this format is essentially a medallic product dressed in coin clothing. Van Gogh painted the original in oil on canvas measuring 73.7 × 92.1 cm — now permanently housed at MoMA since 1941.