Kiwi Coin Noodling, A Good Laugh And Analysis

This is hilarious guys, but I would like to steer the conversation back to NZ change coins eventually

TV licences are like TV itself, dated and bloated things that belong in the 2nd millenium AD. Here they were pointless as we were still bombarded with ads and now they make up over half of all programming on our TV, you can't watch more than 2 minutes of a programme without the ads starting.

Our most annoying ones are the ones on Harvey Norman a crooked appliances retailer that sells them expensively and has a huge hire purchase section that makes them mega money. Their ads are loud, obnoxious and cheap looking and they are on every ad break, sometimes 4x an ad break during their mega sales. And where is Harvey Norman from? - Australia.

Now back to coins

Thank you PrinceTane. I look forward to seeing what you found.

Moving on down to the dollars, this was a grubby lot - but had some more variety than the $2.



Again these were quite grubby and some of the pre 2005 ones had severe wear and rim marks in which the brass coating is wearing off. As expected no 2020 coins were found, but the 2019s were very nice and one was taken for my collections. It was pleasing to see 2 from 2004, a year with a smal mintage.

Numbers of each $1 coin
1990 x 5 (40 million minted, so I am not surprised - all VG and Fine)
1991 x 1
2000 x 2 (No dollars for circulation minted at all from 1992 to 1999!)
2002 x 2
2003 x 1
2004 x 2
2008 x 3
2010 x 1
2013 x 1
2015 x 2
2019 x 5
No coins - 2005 (Smallest year mintage)

Ralf, I can offer you a fresh 10c and 20c of 2020, but do you need a better coin of any other date, as its not enough to send a whole letter with.

Now the 50 cents, this was even more disappointing (Then again 20 coins is a miserably small sample)




Again we have a limited number of dates from this coin. 2006 and 2016 had the lions share and not surprisingly no 2020 coins (Still at this date, only the 10c and 20c have 2020 coins in common circulation). I did see some 2018 at least. There was not surprisingly no Anzac or Armistice coins.

2006 x 6
2009 x 3
2015 x 3
2016 x 4
2018 x 2
2019 x 2
No coins, 2014, 2015 Anzac, 2018 Armistice, 2020

Finally the 10 cent coins. Being 50 in a roll, you can always get a better mix with these things.


Every year they were minted was here, but that is the best thing about them! The condition was very poor, apart from a couple of 2013 and 2014 coins, all of them were stained and darkened. Only some of the 2019 and 2020 were shiny. The fact I found 6 2020 coins and 3 were already stained and worn is not a good sign.

Coins found
2006 x 10
2007 x 2
2009 x 1
2011 x 3
2012 x 4
2013 x 5
2014 x 4
2015 x 2
2016 x 6
2019 x 7
2020 x 6

All dates found

However these coins must have been stored in the water or kept in some dirty persons wallet or clothes.


Look at these 2006s - I think they have a decade left in total

Here is the other end 2020s - these are a few months old at most, yet the wear is worse on 3 of them than some of the 2015s and 2016s



Finally the decent oldies and a couple at least are off to Germany!


That concludes this noodle!

Probably not, I blame this on several factors.

1. Poor quality and cheap construction. Steel is a cheap and nasty material, it stains easily and has little attractiveness, same with aluminium bronze, just becomes hazy and worn over time.

2. Low value of coins, these coins have little value and thus are more likely to be in the hands of marginalised people, poor and children who generally don't treat them with much respect. People now see coins (Especially cents coins) as a hindrance and pay them little regard. Most end up in couches, behind car seats, change trays, piggy banks etc.

3. Brown colour of 10c coins, often get lost, dropped and fall in the water/dirt.

4. Auckland's climate, very wet and moist warm conditions - not good for steel and brass coins.

5. Small fiddly size - none of the coins other than the 50c or $2 are very big and thus easily lost.

6. Low status/frustration - cost of living crisis and poverty means when peoples notes are reduced to coins, they see themselves as broke and thus disregard coins. Coins are seen as largely worthless and useless.

7. Eftpos - the free and widespread usage of it has made coins redundant. Even coin dependent machines like vending machines, pokie machines, phones and parking meters, now only accept cards or notes, as coins often get jammed and also there is issues with vandalism and hoodrat thieves stealing coins from parking meters etc.

Also who has used a payphone with coins since like 1980?

What are the rare dates?

Princetane, why just the one roll of each denomination?

Are you skint or are NZ banks that stingy they only let you have one of each?.