New Zealand 1964 3 pence
This copper-nickel three pence is a late date of a type struck 1956-65. In 1967, New Zealand abandoned the sterling coinage she had used since the days of Captain Cook and adopted the decimal dollar and cent. Silver was dropped from the coinage in 1947, same as Great Britain. This date was saved in large numbers as a souvenir and is common in all grades. The objects on the reverse are Maori war clubs. The second specimen was part of lot 23394 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $7,500. The catalog description[1] noted, "NEW ZEALAND. Proof Set (6 Pieces), 1964. London Mint. Elizabeth II. All PCGS Certified. 1) Florin. PCGS PROOF-65 Cameo. KM-28.2. 2) Shilling. PCGS PROOF-65 Cameo. KM-27.2. 3) 6 Pence. PCGS PROOF-64. KM-26.2. 4) 3 Pence. PCGS PROOF-66 Cameo. KM-25.2. 5) Penny. PCGS PROOF-65 Red-Brown. KM-24.2. 6) 1/2 Penny. PCGS PROOF-64 Red-Brown. KM-23.2. A lovely offering, this assembled proof set delivers a stunning appeal of a seldom seen type in proof. No record of a set being issued for 1964 exists, implying this set was later put together. All examples are quite attractive and deliver stunning visual acuity, with no individual coin grading below the near-Gem level. A tremendous offering of a difficult to acquire proof date."
Recorded mintage: 6,400,000 plus a few proofs.
Specification: copper-nickel, 16.3 mm diameter, designed by Mary Gillick and George Kruger-Gray.
Catalog reference: KM 25.2.
- 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, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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