Niue has operated as a prolific bullion and collector coin licensing territory since the 1990s, leveraging its status as a New Zealand realm country to issue legal tender struck entirely by foreign mints — in this case almost certainly the Mint of Poland, which handles the majority of Niue's colored and rhodium-treated silver output. The black rhodium selective plating technique became commercially widespread in numismatic issues around 2015, applied by electrodeposition over masked areas of the planchet prior to or following striking.
The KM#3742 assignment places this squarely within Niue's extensive wildlife-themed series.
Niue has operated as a prolific bullion and collector coin licensing territory since the 1990s, leveraging its status as a New Zealand realm country to issue legal tender struck entirely by foreign mints — in this case almost certainly the Mint of Poland, which handles the majority of Niue's colored and rhodium-treated silver output. The black rhodium selective plating technique became commercially widespread in numismatic issues around 2015, applied by electrodeposition over masked areas of the planchet prior to or following striking.
The KM#3742 assignment places this squarely within Niue's extensive wildlife-themed series.