New Zealand demonitized 50 cent pieces

[gweidion]

Are there any worth collecting? Is there even a market for the big old style New Zealand 50 cent pieces?
I have $159 worth. I know I can take them to the Reserve Bank in Wellington, and possibly will in a few years when I plan to visit again.
Just wondered if it is worth noodling them for specific years first.

[Triggersmob]

Gweidion, the one to look out for is 2005, as most of those were melted down.
Tane might be able to enlighten us to any other varieties to look out for.

[gweidion]

Thanks. Just had a look at the first $30 odd that I hadn't put in bags yet. Very few 2000 coins at all, a couple of 2002s and a 2003.
Loads of 1967, must have been the first year of issue. Some look like they have barely been touched. Couple of 1968s also near uncirculated.
I'll check the rest a bit later.

[Triggersmob]

If you have 1968 coins, they must have escaped from sets. 1970, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999. 2000 were also set only releases. I am also need of all of those and 1979, 1984,  1986 & 2003, if you have any spares please. I didn't think to mention the set only coins before.

[Tanecoins]

All true - Tane is here!

1968 was a set only coin, but is very common and easily found in coinage. None of the NZ UNC coin sets are really worth much until the 1990s when they got better packaged and more upmarket marketing.

Steve - perhaps you could do a link to my CCF articles from a few years back please, sir?

1967s are common as it was first year - 10.3 million were issued and this lasted for several years. In 1967, 50c was a significant sum of money and thus the value of a 50c in buying power only became very low around 1980, when big issues of 8 million or more started. A dot above the 1 in "1967" is a collectable era and worth holding on to. Any 1967 in UNC condition is also nice to have, although some 400k were issued in sets and the set coins are worth less than face value now!

1968 was a set only coin with 40k in polished condition and 35k in uncirculated standard condition. Before 1980 the mint sets sold at just $2 or $3 each, not much above face value and came in flimsy plastic sleeves. Many people bought them just for the large NCLT dollars (Not the common modern small dollars).

1969 also did not circulate, but are occasionally found with the Cook Bicentennial writing on the rim, these come from 1969 sets. None were issued in 1970 for circulation, but 1971 - 78 saw coins every year, but again just 1 to 3 million which was low as 50c was above pocket money level. Ones in grades above AU are desirable, but again set coins escape.

1980 saw a mega issue of 8 million and 1981 and 1982 also saw huge issues, the value of 50c in 1982 was about 12c in 1967 money, so was more common. I can remember in 1985 a Moro bar or small bag of chips cost 50 cents and milk was 50c a pint in 1986.
Big issues happened until 1988, when oversupply meant no more were issued until 2001.

2001 - 2004 saw generous issues as well and 2005 a limited issue. 2006 was the switch to smaller coins, but a few 2006 large coins were issued for sets and were quite rare. Hope this helps.

Good dates - 1967 with dot above one, 1971/2 in very high grade (Not cloudy or worn), 1976/77 and 1984/85 in high grade as low mintage of 2 million.

[Triggersmob]

Thanks Tane, that's a great summery.

Here is Tane's thread on CCF....
https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=380477

[Tanecoins]

Thanks dude, not sure if I can even go back there. I can but can't post.

One error of 50 cent to watch for, they found one 1985 dated coin that was muled with a Canadian nickel dollar and it sold in the Mowbrays auction for $60,000 NZ Pesos and it was unique, but a second one could work.

1984 and 1985 dated 50 cent coins were minted in Canada rather than Australia or the UK (Baby NZ can't mint any of its own coins) and the size of a 50c then was close to that of a nickel dollar of Canada between 1968 and 1987.

[gweidion]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll take a proper look, (maybe tomorrow.) Those two I put aside are definitely 1968.
I'll also check what I have against your list Steve. Sure there was a 2003 at the very least.

[Triggersmob]

Thanks Gweidion. Yes, there is a 2003. Mintage was 2.5M. Cheers

[Tanecoins]

2001, 02, 03, 04 are all the most common dates and most likely to be found in shiny (AU or so) condition, due to the fact they were used in the last few years before changeover to the smaller coins.

There had been no issues of 50 cents for circulation since 1988 for 50 cent coins, leaving a 13 year gap that spanned the period between Fades, flouro clothes and Lockerbie and that of blonde frosted tips, Jayjays clothes and 9/11.

Even in 2005/06 when I was the manager in a chain of really ghetto $2 shops, I remember the people paid heavily with coins to get rid of them and lots of shiny 50 cent coins. If anything most of the 1987 and 1988 50 cent coins were still in shiny condition and most of the 1986 and earlier coins were cloudy and looked more worn. Of older coins in circulation, a lot of 1967s (Usually cloudy and worn down to Fine condition) and 1975s, other 70s dates were rare, 1980, 81 and 82 were very common too and some of the 82's may still have had a bit of lustre (High VF).

You never saw any 1968, 69 or 70 in circulation and none were issued in 1983, you never saw any set only coins from 1989 to 2000 and a coin from 1971, 72, 73, 74 was a real prize. Most 1984 and 1985 coins were scarce and often shiny, but worn flat due to the weak and low quality impression of the Canadian minting. The 2005's were practically unknown.

My pair came on Sep 30 2006, the last day old coins were legal and all the poor bogany types (Think muffin hipped solo mothers with bunned hair and pink trackpants and tatts with a fierce attitude and feral mulletted kids), dug out every old coin they had (I counted up $300 in old change) and from it pulled 2 x 2005 50 cents and 2 x 2005 20 cent coins. I swapped them with my own and thus had 2 of the true rarities in our coin series!

In 2022 I sent a pair to Trigg and I kept the other pair.

[Basilstate]

Great info. Tane.

[Triggersmob]

In 2022 I sent a pair to Trigg

And they were very much appreciated, thank you Tane.  :yahoo:

[Tanecoins]

You've long since earnt those coins dude!

[gweidion]

Haven't gotten around to checking these yet. I'll try to put some time side this week.

[Triggersmob]

Have fun searching mate. That's half the fun.