New Zealand one-cent coin facts for kids
| New Zealand | |
| Value | 0.01 New Zealand dollars |
|---|---|
| Mass | 2.07 g |
| Diameter | 17.53 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Composition | bronze |
| Years of minting | 1967-1987 |
| Catalog number | - |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand |
| Designer | Raphael Maklouf |
| Design date | 1986 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | A fern leaf around the number 1 |
| Designer | Reginald George James Berry |
| Design date | 1967 |
The New Zealand one-cent coin was a small coin used in New Zealand. It was made from 1967 to 1987. People sometimes called it the "penny." This coin was the smallest value coin of the New Zealand dollar. It stopped being used on April 30, 1990, along with the two-cent coin.
It was very small! It measured only 17.53 millimetres across. It was also very light, weighing just 2.07 grams. This made it the smallest and lightest coin of the New Zealand dollar.
On one side, the coin showed a fern leaf. The fern leaf is a special symbol of New Zealand. It is even linked to the country's national rugby team. Reginald George James Berry designed this fern leaf image. He also designed the pictures for all the other coins that came out in 1967.
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History of the One-Cent Coin
The New Zealand dollar coins started being used on July 10, 1967. They replaced the older money system, which used the New Zealand pound. The New Zealand pound was connected to the British pound.
When the new dollar system began, one New Zealand pound was worth two New Zealand dollars. This meant 200 cents made up one pound. The new one-cent coin was made to have the same value as the old penny coin.
Changes to the Queen's Portrait
The first picture of Queen Elizabeth II on the coin was designed by Arnold Machin. This portrait was used from 1967 until 1985.
In 1986, the Queen's picture changed. A new portrait by Raphael Maklouf was used. This new design had already been put on British coins in 1985.
Why the Coin Stopped Being Made
By 1988, it became too expensive to make the one-cent and two-cent bronze coins. This was because inflation had made the dollar worth less. So, the government stopped making these coins.
They remained legal money until April 30, 1990. After that date, you could no longer use them to buy things.
How Many One-Cent Coins Were Made?
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand keeps records of how many coins were made. They said that no one-cent coins were made in 1968, 1969, or 1977. This was because so many were made when they first came out in 1967.
Even in years when no regular coins were made, some were still produced for special coin sets. These sets were often bought by collectors.
Here is a list of how many one-cent coins were made each year:
- 1967: 120,000,000 coins
- 1970: 10,100,000 coins
- 1971: 10,000,000 coins
- 1972: 10,000,000 coins
- 1973: 15,000,000 coins
- 1974: 35,000,000 coins
- 1975: 60,000,000 coins
- 1976: 20,000,000 coins
- 1978: 15,000,000 coins
- 1979: 35,000,000 coins
- 1980: 40,000,000 coins
- 1981: 10,000,000 coins
- 1982: 10,000,000 coins
- 1983: 40,000,000 coins
- 1984: 30,000,000 coins
- 1985: 40,000,000 coins
- 1986: 25,000,000 coins
- 1987: 27,500,000 coins
In total, about 552,600,000 one-cent coins were made for general use. The total value of these coins was $5,526,000.00. If you include special proof coins and coins in mint sets, over 553 million one-cent coins were made during its time.
See also
