Niue has operated as a prolific licensing platform for commemorative coin programs since the 1990s, contracting with the New Zealand Mint and other producers to issue legal tender pieces that circulate almost exclusively in the secondary collector market. The island's actual population hovers around 1,500, making its role as a coin-issuing authority entirely a revenue arrangement rather than a monetary one.
The 2013 Snake issue falls within the Chinese Lunar series, timed to the Year of the Snake beginning February 10th of that year.
Niue has operated as a prolific licensing platform for commemorative coin programs since the 1990s, contracting with the New Zealand Mint and other producers to issue legal tender pieces that circulate almost exclusively in the secondary collector market. The island's actual population hovers around 1,500, making its role as a coin-issuing authority entirely a revenue arrangement rather than a monetary one.
The 2013 Snake issue falls within the Chinese Lunar series, timed to the Year of the Snake beginning February 10th of that year.