1949 New Zealand crown

Commemorative coin of the New Zealand pound January 2024 January 2024 Crown New Zealand 5/— (5 shillings, or ¼ £NZ) 38.61 Round 28.27 1949 200,020 Milled File:1949_New_Zealand_Crown,_Obverse.pngclass=notpageimage File:1949_New_Zealand_Crown,_Reverse.png Bust of George VI Humphrey Paget Silver fern surrounded by four stars of the Southern Cross James Berry 50% Ag A commemorative crown coin of the New Zealand pound was produced for a planned visit by King George VI in 1949. Having first visited the country in 1927 in his duties as the Duke of York, proposals for a visit by the monarch to New Zealand in 1940 were postponed by the outbreak of World War II. A 1949 tour by the king and queen to Australia and New Zealand was announced in early 1948, the first visit of a reigning monarch to the dominion. A Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand proposal to issue a commemorative coin into circulation was supported by Minister of Finance Walter Nash. Sketches by New Zealand artist James Berry were modelled by Royal Mint designer Percy Metcalfe, and the coin entered production in late 1948. Citing declining health, the king indefinitely postponed the tour in November 1948, sparking fears by the Royal Numismatic Society that the coins may be melted down. The New Zealand government responded positively to calls to continue with the issue of the coinage. Made available at face value at local banks throughout New Zealand in November, the coins were additionally distributed to collectors overseas via consulates-general in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Background Coins of the New Zealand pound In the decades following the introduction of a domestic pound coinage in favour of the previous British pound sterling coinage, New Zealand produced several commemorative coins.Hargreaves 1972 150–157 In 1935, the Waitangi crown, of a previously nonexistent five-shilling denomination, was produced in extremely limited numbers and sold to collectors, without entering circulation. With the Waitangi crown's release largely regarded as a failure,Stocker 2010 185–188 the 1940 Centennial half-crown was produced in far larger quantities and entered circulation at face value. Due to considerable demand from collectors, the coin quickly fell out of circulation.Stocker 2011 221Stocker 2010 187 Proposed royal visit Albert, Duke of York, visited New Zealand in a 1927 royal tour, the fifth visit of a British prince to New Zealand.Cook Megan Royal tours https://teara.govt.nz/en/royal-family/page-2 Te Ara – Encyclopedia of New Zealand 15 January 2024 Following his ascension as George VI, another visit to New Zealand (corresponding to the New Zealand centennial celebrations of 1940) was considered, but disrupted due to the outbreak of World War II.Royal Tours Abroad https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19380810.2.94 15 January 2024 New Zealand Herald 10 August 1938 13 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115210945/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19380810.2.94 live Royal visit badge https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/1206650 Museum of New Zealand 15 January 2024 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115210845/https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/1206650 live A visit by George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Australia and New Zealand the following year was announced in March 1948, planned as the first visit of a sitting monarch to the dominion.Royal Visit to N.Z. in 1949 Announced https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19480308.2.72 15 January 2024 8 March 1948 7 The Press 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115210855/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19480308.2.72 live A travel itinerary formed over the following days, with the King and Queen planned to sail to New Zealand in late February after sailing across the Pacific, before departing to Australia 16 days later.10 March 1948 Royal Visit To N.Z. Before Australia https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19480310.2.84 15 January 2024 Northern Advocate 5 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115210855/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19480310.2.84 live Production In April 1948, the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand moved to suggest the creation of a commemorative crown coin in preparation for the royal visit.May 1948 Proposed Commemorative Crown Piece https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1446/nznj_006_-vol_4_3.pdf New Zealand Numismatic Journal 4 3 90 12 January 2024 26 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126022013/https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1446/nznj_006_-vol_4_3.pdf live May 1948 Notes of Meetings https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1446/nznj_006_-vol_4_3.pdf New Zealand Numismatic Journal 4 3 109 12 January 2024 26 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126022013/https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1446/nznj_006_-vol_4_3.pdf live Following Australian consideration of a commemorative coin in a four-shilling denomination, Minister of Finance Walter Nash moved in May to support the Royal Numismatic Society's proposal of a circulating commemorative coin.1 June 1948 Special Crown Piece May Be Struck By N.Z. To Mark Royal Visit https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19480601.2.28 15 January 2024 Wanganui Chronicle 4 13 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240113024447/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19480601.2.28 live Following delays due to design conflicts, an obverse design was agreed upon by October 1948, and the coins entered production at the Royal Mint.11 October 1948 Minting of Crowns https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19481011.2.33 15 January 2024 Wanganui Chronicle 4 13 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240113024552/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19481011.2.33 live New Zealand stamp designer James Berry, who had previously submitted unsuccessful designs for the Waitangi crown and the 1940 coinage series,Stocker 2011 209–210Stocker 2010 179–181 designed a reverse featuring a silver fern (an endemic plant symbolic of New Zealand) surrounded by the four stars of the Southern Cross. Sketches of Berry's design were sent to Royal Mint designer Percy Metcalfe to be modelled.October 1949 New Zealand Crown Piece https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1442/nznj_010_-vol_5_3.pdf New Zealand Numismatic Journal 5 3 91–92 12 January 2024 26 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126021939/https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1442/nznj_010_-vol_5_3.pdf live https://library.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/archive/royal-mint-annual-reports/royal-mint-annual-report-1948-volume-no79/ Royal Mint Annual Report 1948 1950 6 15 January 2024 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115091702/https://library.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/archive/royal-mint-annual-reports/royal-mint-annual-report-1948-volume-no79 live The obverse of the coin, like other New Zealand coinage of the period, shows an uncrowned bust of George VI designed by Humphrey Paget.Hargreaves 1972 154 Struck in .500 fineness, the 1949 crown was the sole circulating silver coin in New Zealand following the abandonment of silver coinage in favour of cupronickel in 1947.Hargreaves 1972 156–157 Cancellation of royal visit In November 1948, the king indefinitely postponed the planned royal visit to New Zealand and Australia, citing poor health.The King's Health https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19481124.2.35 15 January 2024 The Press 24 November 1948 4 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115091646/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19481124.2.35 live Due to the possibility of the issue being melted down, the Royal Numismatic Society issued a statement urging the continued distribution of the commemorative coinage despite the cancellation, citing the lack of any iconography specific to the royal visit on the coinage, alongside precedent for periodic circulating crown issues in the United Kingdom and South Africa.Distribution Urged Of Crowns Struck For Royal Visit https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19481201.2.35 15 January 2024 Gisborne Herald 1 December 1948 6 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115011729/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19481201.2.35 live Nash responded in early December that no plans were in place to melt the coinage.Royal Visit Coins https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19481207.2.91 15 January 2024 Gisborne Herald 7 December 1948 15 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240115011729/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19481207.2.91 live Release By late February 1949, originally planned as the date for the royal tour, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand communicated to the Royal Numismatic Society plans to collaborate with other trading banks in distributing the coins later in that year.22 February 1949 Distribution of Crown Piece https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1444/nznj_008_-vol_5_1.pdf New Zealand Numismatic Journal 5 1 22 12 January 2024 26 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126021953/https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1444/nznj_008_-vol_5_1.pdf live By early November the majority of the issue had arrived in New Zealand, and the coins were made available to the public for face value at local banks on 17 November. Smaller amounts were made available to overseas collectors at New Zealand trade commissions and consulates-general at various cities in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.12 November 1949 N.Z. 5s Piece to Be Issued Next Week https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19491112.2.19 15 January 2024 Greymouth Evening Star 3 13 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240113024514/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19491112.2.19 live In Dunedin, large queues formed outside banks in anticipation for the coins on 17 November.18 November 1949 Banks Besieged For Crowns https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19491118.2.36 15 January 2024 Otago Daily Times 13 January 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240113024530/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19491118.2.36 live The Royal Numismatic Society provided one coin to all members, available at face value plus the cost of postage.June 1949 New Zealand Crown Pieces, 1949 https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1443/nznj_009_-vol_5_2.pdf New Zealand Numismatic Journal 5 2 51 12 January 2024 26 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126021947/https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1443/nznj_009_-vol_5_2.pdf live A total of 200,020 crowns were produced in 1949, alongside an estimated three proofs.February 1961 Mintings of New Zealand Coins https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1418/nznj_033_-vol_10_3.pdf New Zealand Numismatic Journal 10 3 15 January 2024 26 January 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230126021648/https://www.rnsnz.org.nz/media/1418/nznj_033_-vol_10_3.pdf live Cuhaj George S. 2014 Standard Catalog of World Coins Standard Catalog of World Coins 2014 41st 1638 Two of the proof coins, certified by PCGS, reportedly sold in excess of US$15,000 at auction.January 2020 NEW ZEALAND. Crown, 1949. PCGS PROOF-66 Gold Shield. https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-LAD0N/new-zealand-crown-1949-pcgs-proof-66-gold-shield 15 January 2024 Stacks Bowers References Citations Bibliography Stocker Mark 2010 The New Zealand 'Waitangi' Crown of 1935 https://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/pdfs/2010_BNJ_80_10.pdf British Numismatic Journal 80 176–188 4 January 2023 24 March 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230324123229/https://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/pdfs/2010_BNJ_80_10.pdf live Stocker Mark 2011 Completing the Change: The New Zealand Coin Reverses of 1940 https://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/pdfs/2011_BNJ_81_8.pdf British Numismatic Journal 81 203–222 4 January 2023 6 November 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221106101440/http://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/pdfs/2011_BNJ_81_8.pdf live Hargreaves R. P. From Beads to Banknotes John McIndoe 1972 Dunedin Category:Coins of New Zealand Category:Commemorative coins Category:1949 in New Zealand Category:Crown (currency) Category:Silver coins