Sunday, November 25, 2012

2012 New Zealand Silver Currency Set


Highlights:
 
  • New Zealand silver proof coin set with a gold-plated ten cent coin
  • Each of the five currency coins is uniquely dated 2012
  • Worldwide mintage limit: 1,000 sets
 
The five iconic designs in this silver proof coins set are:

New Zealand ten cents
 
The ten cent coin is pure silver with gold plating and features a Māori carved head or ‘koruru’ with Māori rafter patterns. Koruru are usually mounted on the gables of wharenui (meeting houses) and are referred to as ‘The guardians of the house’.

New Zealand twenty cents

The Māori carving shown on the 20 cent coin is a reproduction of a specific carving of an 18th century Māori warrior leader called Pukaki, who was a rangatira (chief) of the Ngāti Whakaue iwi of Te Arawa in the Rotorua district. The carving was made in 1836 and today it can be viewed in the entrance to the Rotorua District Council building. The edging of this coin is distinctive and known
as ‘Spanish flower’.

New Zealand fifty cents

 The design on the 50 cent coin shows the Endeavour sailing south with Mount Taranaki (Egmont) in the distance. The Endeavour was a British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771.

New Zealand one dollar

New Zealand’s national bird and beloved icon, the kiwi, appears on the $1 coin. This small, flightless bird has been in New Zealand for more than 60 million years, and is largely nocturnal. It has become so much a part of New Zealand’s national identity that New Zealanders overseas (and at home) colloquially refer to themselves as ‘Kiwis’.

New Zealand two dollars

The kotuku (white heron) is shown on the $2 coin. It is one of New Zealand’s rarest birds and is held in particularly high regard in Māori mythology. Kotuku have figured prominently in Māori legend as exemplars of rarity, grace and beauty, and as inhabitants of the spirit world.

New Zealand two dollars (NZD $2)

Composition: Silver proof (0.999)
Weight: 14.12g
Diameter: 26.50mm
Edge treatment: Milled with a channel with ten raised beads
Shape: Round
Obverse design: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, England
Reverse design: The kotuku (white heron) flying right
Mint: Royal Dutch Mint

New Zealand one dollar (NZD $1)
Composition: Silver proof (0.999)
Weight: 10.73g
Diameter: 23.00mm
Edge treatment: Eight alternate segments, four milled and four plain
Shape: Round
Obverse design: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, England
Reverse design: The kiwi, bringing to reality the colloquial term 'Kiwi Dollar'
Mint: Royal Dutch Mint

New Zealand 50 cents
Composition: Silver proof (0.999)
Weight: 6.59g
Diameter: 24.75mm
Edge treatment: Un-milled
Shape: Round
Obverse design: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley England
Reverse design: The Endeavour sailing south with Mount Taranaki (Egmont) in the distance
Mint: Royal Dutch Mint

New Zealand 20 cents
Composition: Silver proof (0.999)
Weight: 5.30g
Diameter: 21.75mm
Edge treatment: Spanish flower
Shape: Round
Obverse design: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, England
Reverse design: Māori 'pukai' carving
Mint: Royal Dutch Mint

New Zealand 10 cents
Composition: Silver proof (0.999), Gold Plated
Weight: 4.37g
Diameter: 20.50mm
Edge treatment: Un-milled
Shape: Round
Obverse design: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, England
Reverse design: Māori carved head or koruru
Mint: Royal Dutch Mint



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