New Zealand five-cent coin facts for kids
| New Zealand | |
| Value | 0.05 New Zealand dollars |
|---|---|
| Mass | 2.83 g |
| Diameter | 19.43 mm |
| Thickness | 1.24 mm |
| Edge | fully milled |
| Composition | Cupronickel |
| Years of minting | 1967 - 2004 |
| Catalog number | - |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Design date | 1999 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | A tuatara, native only to New Zealand, sitting on a coastal rock. |
| Designer | Reginald George James Berry |
| Design date | 1967 |
The New Zealand five-cent coin was a small coin used in New Zealand. For many years, from 1990 to 2006, it was the coin with the lowest value in the New Zealand dollar system. This coin first appeared on 10 July 1967. It took the place of an older coin called the New Zealand sixpence.
However, on 31 July 2006, the five-cent coin was removed from circulation. This was part of a big change to New Zealand's coins. By 1 November 2006, it was no longer considered official money, which means it was demonetised.
Contents
A Brief History of the Five-Cent Coin
The five-cent coin was first used on 10 July 1967. This was when New Zealand changed its money system to a decimal system. This change meant the New Zealand pound was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Two dollars were worth one pound. Six pence from the old system became five cents in the new one.
To make this change easy, the new five-cent coin was made to be exactly like the old sixpence coin. It had the same size and was made of the same materials. The coin was made from a mix of metals called cupronickel. It was about 19.43 millimeters wide and weighed 2.83 grams.
Why the Coin Was Removed
By the early 2000s, the five-cent coin wasn't worth as much as it used to be. This happened because of something called inflation. Inflation means that over time, money buys less than it used to. Because of its low value, the coin was officially removed from use on 1 November 2006.
How Many Coins Were Made?
During the time the five-cent coin existed, a huge number of them were made. This includes special collector's coins and those in mint sets. In total, 617,508,200 (that's over 617 million!) five-cent coins were minted. All these coins together were worth $30,875,410.00.
A Special Request for the Coin
In 2017, a famous American author named John Green asked for some of these five-cent coins. He wanted to give them away as gifts during his book tour. He even made a video in November 2017 talking about this experience.
See Also
