Country guide
New Zealand Coinage
New Zealand was the last Dominion to adopt its own coinage, issuing its first national coins in 1933 with designs by George Kruger Gray and Leonard Cornwall Mitchell. Pre-decimal pound coinage (1933–1965) gave way to the dollar in 1967, with the beloved 1935 Waitangi Crown as the undisputed king of the series. This hub maps the pound era, the decimal switch, and what collectors hunt.
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Coin entries
Coins of New Zealand Coinage
Every coin entry in this wiki — one tap to the full page.
Showing 3 of 3
New Zealand 1935 Waitangi CrownThe 1935 Waitangi Crown is the "king of New Zealand coins" — a one-year crown commemorating…View coin ›
New Zealand 1940 Centennial Half CrownThe 1940 Centennial Half Crown commemorates 100 years since the Treaty of Waitangi — the accessible…View coin ›
New Zealand 1949 Royal Visit CrownThe 1949 Royal Visit Crown is the affordable crown of New Zealand — struck for the…View coin ›History & collecting
The story behind the coins, one tap away.
- Pound-era denominations (1933–1965): halfpenny and penny (bronze, issued 1940, designed by Leonard Cornwall Mitchell — tūī/kōwhai penny, hei-tiki halfpenny), threepence (crossed patu), sixpence (huia), shilling (Māori warrior with taiaha), florin (kiwi), half crown (coat of arms), crown (commemorative only) — the silver pieces designed by George Kruger Gray.
- Silver pieces were .500 fine 1933–1946, then cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) 1947–1965 after postwar silver prices rose.
- Decimalization: 10 July 1967, NZ£1 = NZ$2, new coins 1c/2c/5c/10c/20c/50c; the 5c matched the old sixpence in size, 10c carried “One Shilling” legend until 1970.
- Modern: 1c/2c withdrawn (1990), $1 coin introduced 11 February 1991 replacing the note; 5c demonetized 1 November 2006 and the 10c/20c/50c shrunk to smaller nickel-plated-steel coins.
- What collectors hunt: the 1935 Waitangi Crown, the 1949 and 1953 crowns, low-mintage 1935 silver dates (1935-dated 3d were struck in 1936 to complete sets), and the 1933 pattern issues.
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