Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins

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Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins are an extension of the wildly successful Silver Hawksbill Turtle, or Taku, series of coins minted by the well-known New Zealand Mint. They have been around for an even shorter amount of time than the silver versions of this popular series, yet they have gained in recognition with every passing year. Those collectors and investors who liked the silver design of the beautiful ocean and rare Taku turtle will love this one ounce (and smaller variations on it) golden gem with an impressive $200-$250 face value (pre-2017 years were $200 face valued).

Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins History and Background

Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins are the leading gold coin series within the stable of coins which the New Zealand Mint produces. These gold Takus appeared in 2014, four years after the better known silver Takus. Though they are legal tender of the microstate island of Niue, they are produced in Auckland, New Zealand.

The coin series theme is the Hawksbill Turtle as with the sister silver coins in the series. As one of the two main species of turtles in the Fiji Islands of the South Pacific, the Taku, or Hawksbill, turtle is an endangered species. These Taku are able to reach a size of a meter long and can weigh in at 80 kilograms. There has been a record set for heaviest Hawksbill turtle at 127 kilograms.

New Zealand Mint turns out to be a privately held company on the North Island of New Zealand. As the only mint in the nation, it buys refined gold and silver from the international markets and strikes beautiful coins for a range of countries. In the last four decades, they have earned a justly deserved reputation for top designs and quality evidenced in their ground-breaking gold and silver bullion pieces. Since it is the one and only mint in the land of the Kiwis, the company is able to employ the slogan, “Minters of the South Pacific.” Among the Pacific islands nations whose coins they strike are Niue, Fiji, Tuvalu, and the Cook Islands.

Two things distinguish these precious Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins from their bullion program competitors. The obverse design changes in some years. Besides this, Niue jealously guards the numbers of the coins in this series which may be struck. The 2017 year issue of the gold coin was limited to a tiny 10,000 pieces. This is nothing when compared to the millions of gold American Eagles and gold Canadian Maple Leafs produced every year.

Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins Physical Characteristics

As products of the New Zealand Mint, the Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins are backed by the private company. They pledge that the coins all meet the specifications of gold purity, weight, and metal content.

Coin Design

Whether they are collectors or investors, numismatists utilize the word “obverse” in order to describe the coin's front side. Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins have an obverse with the same design as the silver version of the coin. The featured image is the Hawksbill Turtle swimming along shallow waters in the midst of little bubbles. There is similarly the small slice at the left side which is finished in a dramatic mirror look. The word “Turtle” also appears within this area, as on the silver Hawksbill coins. While most of the turtle is done in a mirror finish, the majority of the obverse itself is completed with a frosted finish so that you can tell the difference between the turtle and the ocean water.

Coin enthusiasts are also using a technical word for the rear side of a coin, the “reverse.” The Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins reverse employs the identical theme as do so many of the Commonwealth of Nations member countries. They feature a stylized right facing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Niue, Fiji, The Cook Islands, and a number of other principally island nation countries.Ian Rank-Broadley designed this internationally known portrait of Her Majesty in 1998. As with the silver Taku coins, the reverse shows “NIUE” atop the queen, “250 DOLLARS” denomination to the right of her, her name “ELIZABETH II” to the left of her picture, and mint year “2017” beneath her. Initials IRB stand for the designer of the reverse side. They are found beneath the neck of the Queen.

Coin Specifications

Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins come in several different sizes (and accompanying denominations) including one ounce, 1/2 ounce, and 1/4 ounces.  The specifications for the most popular one ounce size are as follows:

• Mass: 31.1 grams
• Diameter: 32 mm
• Thickness: 1 mm
• Metal Content: 1 troy ounce
• Gold Purity: 99.99% pure

Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins Pricing

Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins were created with an original legal tender of $200 that the nation Niue increased to $250 for the 2017 issue, reflecting rising gold prices. While $250 is a generous face value for any coin, it is still insignificant compared to the intrinsic value of the gold in these coins, which equates to over $1,150. Besides the underlying gold prices, the market value of these coins is comprised of an additional premium for the relatively tiny mintages and collectable value. This helps to explain how it is that these coins can sell for over the spot price of gold.

It is the market value that gives the self directed IRA and other portfolios which contain these coins their value. Gold prices fluctuate to the upside and downside all through the trading week. The Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins values move more or less in lockstep along with the changes in gold prices. You can quickly and easily determine the current pricing for gold by clicking on our home page.

Can IRA Accounts Contain Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins?

Niue Gold Hawksbill Turtle Coins are more unique even than their sister silver coins since they have such a low mintage of only 10,000 pieces in 2017. Opening up a gold IRA account requires you to have your IRA account administrator execute an order for minimally $5,000 in precious metals buys for your account. After this, you can always add in additional gold and precious metals to the account with only a subsequent $1,000 minimum purchase.

It is a fair question as to whether or not the IRS will allow you to count these beautiful gems within your precious metals IRA account. The two principal tests which must be passed revolve around gold purity of .995 fineness and limited collectability. Although these coins surpass the 99.5 percent gold purity level with their impressive 99.99 percent content, they fail the rigorous IRS test of limited collectability. While they can not be included within your self directed IRAs, they are still terrific choices for other kinds of collector, investment, and retirement accounts. To buy them, simply contact a reputable world gold coin or bullion dealer who can track some of them down for you.

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