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Mickey Mouse money might refer to fake or valueless cash but on the small island country of Niue, it is the real deal.
With just 1,600 people to power its economy, the Pacific island nation is putting Disney characters on its currency and raking in the cash.The coins have become collectors items around the world and are creating global awareness of the tiny country, 4,000 kilometres east of Sydney.
"The connection at the moment, between a collector and whether they decide to come and visit necessarily, is not clear," Niue premier Toke Tolagi told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program.
"But I certainly believe that they will know that there is such a place as Niue and they may very well visit at some point."
The most recent deal signed with the New Zealand Mint is estimated to be worth around $NZ6 million over 10 years.
The series of silver and gold commemorative coins feature some of Disney's most recognised characters and have a face value of $2.
But with a sale price of $NZ108 and $NZ755 respectively, there's nothing 'Mickey Mouse' about their worth.
The coins feature Queen Elizabeth's head on the reverse side and are legal tender in Niue.
Mr Talagi said that as with previous issues, the series is likely to yield a steady amount of revenue.
"The first agreement with New Zealand Mint was signed in 2008 and part of the reasons for that was that we had a contract with another company that wasn't generating sufficient, or in fact any income," he said. "So we negotiated with New Zealand Mint and we agreed on terms and we have continued that relationship since that time."
"I'm very pleased with the fact that we've managed to generate a bit of income from that, it's not overly large but at the same time it contributes to revenue streams we have on the island.
"We are using the effigy for stamps as well as for coins [and] we find that people become aware of Niue through the coin collections and through the stamps.
Mr Talagi said that the country has not performed any marketing analysis to determine the value they are delivering to the island nation, but said: "I'm pretty certain that anything that helps promote Niue is very helpful."
"It's hard to tell with these things - they are collectors after all. I'm not sure whether they will necessarily wish to visit all the countries they have a numerous amount of collections with."
"I'm sure that some of them would, but I'm sure that they will tell their friends about the fact that a place like Niue exists."
The Disney series will be released over two years, starting with a coin featuring Mickey Mouse in a scene from Steamboat Willie, the first film to feature him and one that is considered a landmark in the history of animation.
Future releases will showcase classic characters such as Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and Pocahontas.
This year's release follows the Star Wars series from three years ago which featured characters like Darth Vader, Yoda and Princess Leia, and Whovians can expect to be transported by Doctor Who coins which are also legal tender in Niue.
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