New Zealand 1951 1/2 penny

Stack's Bowers February 2023 Collector's Choice sale, lot 74256

This specimen was lot 74256 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2023), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description^[1] noted, "NEW ZEALAND. 1/2 Penny, 1951. George VI. PCGS PROOF-64 Red Brown. Displaying with an abundance of mint red still showing, this near-Gem Proof is set ablaze when cradled to the light." 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. This type was minted 1949-52. All dates are common but proofs are rare. The coinage was decimalized in 1967.

Recorded mintage: 2,342,400 plus proofs.

Specification: 5.6 g, bronze, 25.4 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM-20.

Source:

• 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, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.

Link to:

• 1950 half penny
• Australia 1951-PL half penny
• Fiji 1951 1/2 penny
• 1951 threepence
• 1951 florin
• 1951 half crown
• 1952 half penny
• 1952 penny
• 1952 threepence
• Coins and currency dated 1951