New Zealand five-cent coin

The New Zealand five-cent coin was the lowest denomination coin of the New Zealand dollar from 1990 to 2006. The five-cent coin was introduced when the New Zealand dollar was introduced on 10 July 1967, replacing the New Zealand sixpence coin. On 31 July 2006 it was eliminated as part of a revision of New Zealand's coins, and it was demonetised (no longer legal tender) as of 1 November 2006.[2]

Five cents
New Zealand
Value0.05 New Zealand dollars
Mass2.83 g
Diameter19.43 mm
Thickness1.24 mm
Edgefully milled
CompositionCupronickel
Years of minting1967 - 2004[1]
Catalog number-
Obverse
DesignQueen Elizabeth II
DesignerIan Rank-Broadley
Design date1999
Reverse
DesignA tuatara, native only to New Zealand, sitting on a coastal rock.
DesignerReginald George James Berry
Design date1967

History

The five-cent coin was introduced on 10 July 1967 with the decimalisation of New Zealand currency, where the New Zealand dollar replaced the New Zealand pound at a rate of two dollars to a pound, with six pence in the old pound currency equaling five cents in the new one. The new five cent coin was the same size and composition as the old sixpence coin it replaced to ease the transition. The coin was made of cupronickel, 19.43 mm in diameter, and weighed 2.83 grams.

By the early 2000s, the five-cent coin had become of little value due to inflation. The coin was subsequently demonetised effective 1 November 2006.

Counting proofs and coins in mint sets, a total of 617,508,200 (618 million) coins of the denomination were minted during its existence, a total value of $30,875,410.00[3]

In 2017, American author John Green requested that some of the coins be given to him to give away as gifts on his upcoming book tour. He put out a video about the experience in November 2017.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Coin mintings (F4)". Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
  2. "The history of New Zealand coins". Reserve Bank of New Zealand. 28 February 2022.
  3. "Five Cents from New Zealand". Online Coin Club.
  4. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: The New Zealand Five Cent Coin. YouTube.
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