New Zealand 1951 6 pence
This specimen was lot 75312 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $125. The catalog description[1] noted, "NEW ZEALAND. 6 Pence, 1951. London Mint. George VI. PCGS MS-66. Emanating from the penultimate year in the reign and life of George VI, this lustrous specimen abounds with tantalizing cartwheel brilliance." New Zealand did not receive her own coinage until 1933, British coins being used heretofore. Issue of pennies and half pennies did not begin until 1940. Sixpences were struck for George VI in 0.500 fine silver 1937-46, then copper-nickel for 1947. In 1948 the obverse was revised from "GEORGE VI KING EMPEROR" to "KING GEORGE THE SIXTH." The denomination was terminated upon decimalization in 1965. Wikipedia comments, "The huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) is an extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907."
Recorded mintage: 1,800,000 plus proofs.
Specification: 2.83 g, copper-nickel, 19.3 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-16.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to: