Niue's bullion and commemorative dollar program, administered largely through the New Zealand Mint, expanded aggressively in the early 2000s as the island's government leaned into numismatic licensing as a primary revenue stream. The 2006 Lunar series entry — Year of the Pig — was issued ahead of the Chinese New Year beginning January 29, 2006. The copper-nickel composition places this squarely in the collector rather than bullion tier; silver versions circulated simultaneously in the same program.
Niue's bullion and commemorative dollar program, administered largely through the New Zealand Mint, expanded aggressively in the early 2000s as the island's government leaned into numismatic licensing as a primary revenue stream. The 2006 Lunar series entry — Year of the Pig — was issued ahead of the Chinese New Year beginning January 29, 2006. The copper-nickel composition places this squarely in the collector rather than bullion tier; silver versions circulated simultaneously in the same program.