New Zealand two-dollar coin

Last updated

Two dollars
New Zealand
Value2.00 New Zealand dollars
Mass10.00 g
Diameter26.50 mm
Thickness2.70 mm
EdgeSecurity
CompositionCopper-aluminium-nickel (Cu 92%, Al 6%, Ni 2%)
Years of minting1990 – present
Catalog number–
Obverse
Design Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
Designer Ian Rank-Broadley
Design date1999
Reverse
DesignAn eastern great egret or kōtuku (Ardea alba modesta)
Design date1990

The New Zealand two-dollar coin is the largest-denomination coin of the New Zealand dollar. It was introduced along with the one-dollar coin in 1990. Both are made from an alloy of aluminium and brass. It is the largest and heaviest coin in circulation, weighing ten grams and measuring 26.5 millimetres in diameter. Its thickness is 2.7 mm, only 0.4 mm thinner than the one-dollar coin, thus it is the second-thickest coin in the country's circulation. [1] Both the $1 and $2 coins are gold-coloured, and requests for a Koha, donation or entry fee sometimes say gold coin please.

Contents

History

A two dollar banknote was used in New Zealand from the start of the dollar in 1967 until 1991 when the coins became widely circulated.

The original ideas to produce one- and two-dollar coins were proposed in 1986 [2] because of ongoing inflation which had lowered the value of the dollar and would cause the demonetisation of the one and two cent coins in 1988. From its first year until 1998 the coin featured on its obverse the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by the British-Palestinian sculptor Raphael Maklouf. It had the text ELIZABETH II on the left of the portrait, NEW ZEALAND on the right and the date at the bottom. [3]

The effigy was replaced in 1999 by a portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley, which had been introduced to the coins of the pound sterling in 1998. It reversed the position of the writing, moving the Queen's name to the right and the country's name to the left. [4] The reverse features an eastern great egret (Ardea alba modesta) (Maori: kotuku ). It is sacred to New Zealand's Māori people, and highly endangered within the country, only inhabiting the Okarito Lagoon on the South Island. [2] This continues the theme of birds among the dollar coins; the one-dollar coin has a kiwi, unique to New Zealand, on its reverse. The edge is fully milled, unique amongst New Zealand's current currency.

The 1997 NZ $2 coin was recalled quickly and destroyed due to an error that resulted in vending machines and parking meters rejecting them. This was due to the metal composition of the coin being slightly different to previous years, meaning that the conductivity of the 1997 coin was irregular. As most coin mechanisms use conductivity to verify a coin, this discrepancy resulted in widespread rejection of the coin. [5]

Minting figures

YearMintings
199030,000,000
199110,000,000
19971,000,000
19986,000,000
19995,050,000
20013,000,000
20026,000,000
20036,000,000
20055,000,000
20088,000,000
20118,000,000
20147,000,000
20153,000,000
20163,000,000
201912,200,000
Total113,250,000

Total value: $226,500,000. [6]

Future

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, the Reserve Bank said it would exhaust its existing coin stocks before introducing new coins featuring King Charles III. Based on current stock levels, this would likely be several years away. [7]

Related Research Articles

The New Zealand dollar is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Zealand, it is almost always abbreviated with the dollar sign ($), with "$NZ" or "NZ$" sometimes used when necessary to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies.

The khoums is the subdivisory unit of the Mauritanian monetary system, the ouguiya. Five khoums make an ouguiya, hence one khoums can be expressed as 0.2 ouguiya.

The Thailand one-satang coin is a currency unit equivalent to one-hundredth of a Thai baht. It is rare in circulation but used in banking transactions.

The Thailand five-satang coin is a unit of currency equivalent to one-twentieth of a Thai baht. It was introduced in 1908 as a coin with a hole through its middle, which was minted until 1939. In 1946 the hole was removed and the new Thai monarch featured on the obverse: Rama IX. In 1996 a five-satang coin marked the 50th anniversary of his reign.

The Thailand ten-satang coin is a currency unit equivalent to one-tenth of a Thai baht. It is rare in circulation but used in banking transactions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand twenty-cent coin</span> Current denomination of New Zealand currency

The New Zealand twenty-cent coin is the second-lowest-denomination coin of the New Zealand dollar. The 20-cent coin was introduced when the New Zealand dollar was introduced on 10 July 1967, replacing the New Zealand florin coin. Its original reverse of a kiwi was changed in 1990 when the image was moved onto the one-dollar coin. In 2006 its size was reduced and its edge altered to a Spanish flower as part of a revision of New Zealand's coins, which also saw its alloy become nickel-plated steel instead of cupro-nickel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong one-dollar coin</span>

The one-dollar coin is the fourth-highest and fourth-lowest denomination coin of the Hong Kong dollar.

The coins of the New Zealand dollar are used for the smallest physical currency available in New Zealand. The current denominations are ten cents, twenty cents, fifty cents, one dollar and two dollars. The $1 and $2 coins are minted in a gold colour, the 20c and 50c coins are silver colour and the 10c coin is plated in copper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty-five øre (Danish coin)</span>

The twenty-five øre coin was a coin of the Danish krone. It was the lowest-denomination coin in the country when it was demonetised on 1 October 2008.

The ten-cent coin is the lowest-denomination circulating coin of the Hong Kong dollar. With a diameter of 17.5 mm and a mass of 1.85 g it is also the smallest in size and weight. It is the oldest coin denomination to still be in circulation in Hong Kong. Since its first issue in 1863, there has only been one period (1942–1947) where the coin was not in use.

New Zealand dollar banknotes are the banknotes in circulation in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tokelau, Niue and the Pitcairn Islands, denominated in the New Zealand dollar. They are issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and since 1999 have been made of polymer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong ten-dollar coin</span>

The ten-dollar coin is the highest-valued circulating coin issued in Hong Kong.

The five dollar coin is the second-highest denomination coin of the Hong Kong dollar. It replaced the five dollar banknotes in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong twenty-cent coin</span>

The twenty-cent coin is a coin of the Hong Kong dollar. It is the second-smallest denomination coin in Hong Kong. There have been two different periods of usage for a twenty-cent coin: the first, round twenty-cent was issued from 1866 to 1905, and the current scallop-shaped coin was introduced in 1975.

The Romanian one-ban coin is a unit of currency equalling one one-hundredth of a Romanian leu. It is the lowest-denomination coin of the present currency and has been minted every year since the leu was redenominated in 2005. As well as Romania, the coin has been minted in the United Kingdom (1867), Germany (1900) and Russia (1952).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine one-centavo coin</span>

The Philippine one-centavo coin (1¢) is the smallest-denomination coin of the Philippine peso. It has been issued since 1903 during American rule. It became the smallest unit of currency following the removal of the half-centavo in 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine ten-centavo coin</span>

The Philippine ten-centavo coin (10¢) coin is a denomination of the Philippine peso. It was the oldest denomination under 1 peso in the country's circulation, having been introduced in 1880 during the Spanish rule of the islands until it was stopped being minted in 2017. The denomination is still legal tender until the demonetization of the BSP Coin Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine twenty-five-centavo coin</span>

The Philippine twenty-five-centavo coin (25¢) coin is the third-lowest denomination coin of the Philippine peso.

The New Zealand one-cent coin was the smallest denomination coin of the New Zealand dollar from the currency's introduction in 1967 to its demonetisation, along with the two-cent coin, on 30 April 1990. With a diameter of 17.53 millimetres, it is the smallest coin ever issued of the dollar, and at 2.07 grams in mass the lightest as well. Its reverse featured a fern leaf, a sign of New Zealand, associated also with its national rugby union team. The image was designed by Reginald George James Berry, who designed the reverses for all coins introduced that year.

The New Zealand fifty-cent coin is a coin of the New Zealand dollar. It was the largest by denomination, diameter and mass to have been introduced on the decimalisation of the currency on 10 July 1967, replacing the pre-decimal crown coin. A total of 81,585,200 pre-2006 50 cent coins were issued, with a total value of $40,792,600.00

References

  1. ↑ "New Zealand Coinage Specifications". Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/display.php?image=img3/131-79&desc=New Zealand km79 2 Dollars (1990–1998)&query=New Zealand
  4. ↑ http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/display.php?image=img3/131-2d99&desc=New Zealand km121 2 Dollars (1999--)&query=New Zealand
  5. ↑ "Meters reject 1997 $2 coins". 18 December 2013.
  6. ↑ https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/f4
  7. ↑ Edmunds, Susan (9 September 2022). "What happens now to New Zealand's coins and bank notes?". Stuff. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.