Coins
Initially, British and Australian coins circulated in New Zealand. The devaluation of the New Zealand pound relative to sterling in the 1930s led to the issue of distinct New Zealand coins in 1933, in denominations of 3d, 6d, 1s, 2s (the florin) and 2½s (the half-crown), minted in 50% silver until 1946 and in cupro-nickel from 1947. In 1940, bronze ½d and 1d coins were introduced. All these denominations were the same size and weight as their equivalents in the Australian and UK coinage (although Australia never minted the half-crown). When the UK introduced the nickel-brass twelve sided threepenny bit, New Zealand continued to use the smaller silver coin until decimalisation in 1967.
| Reverse Image | Value | Technical Parameters | Description | Date of | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diameter | Thickness | Mass | Composition | Edge | Obverse | Reverse | Issue | Withdrawal | |||
| ½d (half penny) | 26 mm | 5.7 g | Bronze | Plain | King George VI (1940-52) Queen Elizabeth II (1953-67) |
A Māori hei-tiki (neck pendant) with ornamental tukutuku patterns on each side | 1940 | ||||
| 1d (one penny) | 31 mm | 9.5 g | A tui perched in a setting of yellow kowhai blossoms | ||||||||
| 3d (three pence) | 16 mm | 1.4 g | 50% silver (1933-1946) Cupronickel (1947-1967) |
Plain | King George V (1933-1936) King George VI (1937-1952) Queen Elizabeth II (1953-1967) |
Two carved patu (Maori weapons) crossed with lanyards or throngs attached, with “3d” between their blades | 1933 | ||||
| 6d (six pence) | 19 mm | 2.9 g | Continuously milled | A huia perched on a branch | 31 October 20061 | ||||||
| 1s (one shilling) | 23 mm | 5.7 g | A figure of a Maori warrior in warlike attitude carrying a taiaha | ||||||||
| 2s (2 shilling, a.k.a. one "florin") | 28.5 mm | 11.3 g | A kiwi facing left | ||||||||
| 2½s (2½ shillings, or 2s 6d, a.k.a. 2 shillings 6 pence, or one "half crown") | 32 mm | 14.1 g | Arms of New Zealand on a background of Māori carvings. | ||||||||
Commemorative crowns (FULL crowns, or five shillings, or two half crowns) were minted in 1935, 1949, and 1953 for the Treaty of Waitangi, a royal visit, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, respectively.
Read more about this topic: New Zealand Pound
Famous quotes containing the word coins:
“A war undertaken without sufficient monies has but a wisp of force. Coins are the very sinews of battles.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)
“No Time, spoke the clocks, no God, rang the bells,
I drew the white sheet over the islands
And the coins on my eyelids sang like shells.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)