1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Year of the Rat: Wealthy

Niue's Chinese Lunar series occupies an odd corner of the commemorative market — the island nation of roughly 1,600 people has used its currency-issuing authority since the 1990s primarily as a licensing vehicle, with coins designed and distributed almost entirely for overseas collector markets, particularly in Asia and the Pacific diaspora. The 2008 Rat issue landed in a year of particular commercial pressure: global silver spot prices were climbing sharply toward their 2008 peak, making production costs for .999 fine bullion commemoratives notably higher than in previous years of the series.