Recently I completed two sets that I've been working on for quite some time now. The first was a set of Greek coins since 1900, but I don't know when I'll have time to upload those. The second was large New Zealand dollar coins. I don't know of anyone on here who collects New Zealand specifically, but it's an area I started to focus on about a year ago. It is quite challenging because many of the coins, especially from the last 20 years or so, are extremely low mintage or only released in mint sets. I don't have the full country done yet, but I just got the last large dollar yesterday. The first was made in 1967 and the last in 1990. A few years had two different coins, and 1989 had four. Many have mintages around 40,000-60,000 or so and it is hard to find them at a reasonable price, or even at all. The 1988 penguin is the last one I needed. Here is the set. Bear with me.
86-88. I got really lucky on the 88. I'd been outbid on this coin for around $13 before, and this one was less than $2.
Last but not least, 89 and 90. 1990 also had a dollar coin in the modern style, smaller and gold colored with the kiwi bird.
Wow. Very, very nice set Hiddendragon! I appreciate how much time and effort you've dedicated to this set. I am enjoying the entire photo sets you've posted. Well done, great collection. Thank you for presenting! -L
Oh, so you are my competition! I am working on the same set, except for all the New Zealand decimal coinage in proof and uncirculated. Looking and buying sets worldwide, finding them locally in south Florida or as far away as the home country itself. I just love those big, heavy dollars in both copper nickel and sterling silver. Wonderful collection! I am particularly partial to the then standard coat of arms reverse design. The proofs, in particular, are extremely sharp in detail.
Thanks for the compliments. Onecenter, you're probably bidding against me on some stuff then. The good thing is for me at least once I get a coin I'm done with it. I don't keep going back looking for a better one, so I'll be out of your hair as soon as I get the ones I need. I try to keep a reasonable budget so it's getting less and less common that I add anything to my collection any more. I just saw a 2004 5 cent go for $12, and I can't really justify that.
Actually, the 2004 5-cent coin at just $12 is quite reasonable. All but an estimated 48,000 of the 15 miilion 2004-dated 5-cent coins were recalled and melted down. The denomination only existed for two more years, issued in sets only. New Zealanders round their purchases to the nearest 10 cents. Once you finish with the big dollars, you develop an appreciation for the nice brassy kiwi small-sized dollars, too! Overall, New Zealand has very beautiful coin designs.
I am trying to get them all, but most of the ones I need just don't come up for sale, or I can't win the auctions. I still need 1 shilling, 1 6 pence, 1 threepence, a few florins, most of the silver half crowns and the silver crowns in the old style coins. I have all the half pennies and pennies. I need one 2 cent. Have all the 1 cents. I have big gaps in the upper denominations in the 90s and 2000s. Do you know why they seem to make so few new coins? Almost every year is mint set only.
Two factors could be at work. When the pretty 1990 smaller-sized Kiwi dollar was introduced along with the Kotuku two-dollar coin, the mintages were designed to get the coins into circulation and withdraw the one- and two-dollar Reserve Bank of New Zealand banknotes. After the first 40 million 1990 Kiwi dollars and a further 10 million Kiwi dollars were minted in 1990 and 1991, followed with 30 million Kotuku NZ$2s in 1990 and 10 million NZ$2s in 1991 no further circulation quality dollar coins were needed for nine years and $2 coins for six years! Just over 50 million one dollar coins and 40 million NZ$2 were apparently sufficient for a country of around 4 million people for almost a decade. If I remember correctly, New Zealanders carry a lot fewer coins and currency, prefering to pay electronically, bank-to-bank, a payment system similar to Australia and the European Union. All figures are courtesy of The Premier New Zealand Coin & Banknote Catalogue 2012. A very handy reference.
The many commemorative NZ$5 coins on the same sized planchet of the old large-sized dollars offer a lot of diversity. One of the prettiest coins I recently picked-up was a 1998 NZ$10 Mercedes Benz Anniversary in a copper-zinc composition, a beautiful pinkish metal. Just 2000 of these beauties!
Wow, I had no idea they made so many of these! I have three of them, but now I guess I'm going to have to start looking for more! Amazing collection!
