Early New Zealand 10 Cents

Hi Lim

Interesting coin !! My guess is that it was one of three transition years, 67-68-69 the design changed in 1970 and does not carry the one shilling designation, just the 10.

from Krause it looks like the key to these three years is the 1967 Proof with a mintage of 10,, there were 50,000 proof for the year 1969.

Rick

New Zeland 10 cents were 'dual-denominated' in cents and shillings from 1967 to 1969. Why? Guess the NZ government thought it would help ease the transition to decimal currency.

Other countries have done the same. When Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) started to go decimal, the entire coin series of 1964 was dual-denominated - 6d-5c, 1/-10c, 2/-20c and 2/6-25c. They then seemed to make steps away from decimalization - the 1968 threepence has no equivalent 2½c marking, and the gold coins of 1966 were denominated only in pounds. Sterling units didn't disappear until the Republic coinage of 1970.

Another, older example of dual-denominations for our North American friends: many of the copper tokens from Lower Canada (Quebec) of the mid 1800's had the denomination in sous (in French) on one side and in pence (in English) on the other.

Nope - not logical. All the "silver" predecimals were (and I think still are) legal tender for their decimal equivalents.

Halfcrowns (25c) and threepence (2½c) were discontinued with no decimal equivalents, but sixpences had a different design (bird) to the 5c (tuatara lizard). Both the florin and 20 cents had the kiwi, so there was easy mental conversion for that one.

As the size and composition of the 6d, 1/- and 2/- were identical to the 5c, 10c and 20c you can still find them in change in NZ (though not for long; currency reforms are planned).

Perhaps they felt the need to especially distinguish the new 10 cent from the old bronze halfpenny, coins of similar size and a similar "Maori carving" motif.