Review of the second of 3 Registry sets having over 300 slots, the Niue S$1 Proof

The Niue Registry $1 set has ballooned in the last couple of years. Unlike the first Set I reviewed, the Canada $20 Proofs, the Niue coins have a much more diverse set of features on many of the coins. Square, key shaped, animal shaped (horse's head), etc., there has been a lot more "freedom" (for lack of a better word) in the coin's design rather than the usual round shape.

Another interesting design that has come out with these $1 Niue coins are the "Puzzle" coins, or "Sheet" coins as I have heard others describe them, although there is a difference between the two.

The Puzzle coins are a picture that has been cut into several different coins. It takes the entire sheet of coins to reveal what the picture is that is depicted on the coin. An example is the 2013 Sandro Botticelli "Mystic Nativity" 15 coin set. Each coin is identified on the one side with the denomination ($1), country of issue (Niue) and year of issue (2013). However, unless you have all of the coins together you are unable to tell what the "complete" picture is (2800435-008 through -022). Each coin is slabbed and labeled "Frame 1 of 15", "Frame 2 of 15" etc.

In contrast to this are the "Sheet" coins. These are also a picture that has been separated into many coins, but in this case each coin can stand by itself as an individual. You still get a better idea of what the sheet looks like overall, but the coins themselves have the same denomination/country of issue/year of issue on the one side and then a design on the other side that stands by itself (2807981-017 2012 Niue S$1 The Durer Codex - Rhinoceros). So far there are 3 of these types of Sheet coin sets in the Niue S$1 Proof Registry - the 2011 Da Vinci Codex (24 coins, 2804498-001 through -024), the 2012 Passion Of The Christ (14 coins, 2800257-001 through -014) and the 2012 The Durer Codex (24 coins, 2807981-001 through -024).

Something else I find interesting about the Niue coins are that it seems like every Mint in the world produces or sells them. The British Royal Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, Pamp Suisse Helvetic Mint, New Zealand Mint, Mint Of Poland, etc. No wonder there are so many coins and so much variety.

While the current number of slots in the $1 set is at 358, it could easily be well over 500 as almost everyday I see coins for sell that do not yet have slots and alas I no longer have the money to continue buying them all.

Cheers,

Dan

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