NEW HALF-CROWN

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 134, 4 December 1933, Page 5

NEW HALF-CROWN

EXPERTS WELL "PLEASED,

TRADITIONAL DESIGN

The new half-crown which is the initial instalment of New Zealand's first distinctive coinage has now made its appearance in various parts of' the Dominion, and the design is attracting generally favourable comment. The views of experts as to the design of the coin was expressed to a "Post" reporter by Mr. Allan Sutherland, a member of the Coinage Committee, and honorary secretary of the New Zealand Numismatic Society, who said that the design had been well received by numismatists, who were pleased to note several,modern features. The design on the reverse (or "tail") side of the coin—the crowned arms of New Zealand encircled by Maori carvings to fill the field—was in keeping with-the heraldic type of design used for centuries past on some English coins, and more recently favoured for the half-crown in thosa parts of the Bi'itish Empire retaining it coin of=~that denomination. The inclusion of the Maori carvings was a happy blending of heraldic and native feature^ and the result was quite pleasing.

UNDER A MAGNIFYING GLASS.

The best way to appreciate the detail* of'the-design, said Mr. Sutherland, was by att; examination through a magnifying glasa in accordance with the general -practice'among'numismatists. The intricacies of the .design were then revealed . and the mechanical perfection of the dies be* came apparent.; • Under the magnifying glass the eye naturally centred on the arms or shield, with its quartering? emblematic of New Zealand. ' The, three "heraldic_ ships" within the "pale," or centre section, were said to represent Captain Cook's three voyages. The Southern Cross was' shown in tha first.quarter, a fleece suspended by a ribbon in the second, a garb, or wheatsheaf, in the third, and two mining hammern crossed in the fourth. ■ In view of the brilliance of the new pieces, he said, it was difficult to appreciate the full beauty of the Maori carving and other details of the design, but when the shine wore off the design would stand out more effectively. At first glance tha design appeared to be ornate, but that was mainly due to .the "bloom" of tha new pieces. In any case complicated designs were favoured by most countries for the higher denominations, mainly in order to check counterfeiting. The delicate relief lines on the Maori carving, a* well as other features, would render th« counterfeiter's task very difficult indeed.

THE SUNKEN SHIELD

.The reverse design, continued Mr. Sutherland, had been cleverly treated from a production, as well as from an artistio point of view, in that the shield . was slightly sunk in relation to the carved border, and this not only enhanced tha appearance of the design but also protected the shield from wear. Actually the shield would be the last part of the coin1 to show; signs of wear. In addition the displacement of metal as- the result of slightly; sinking the shield enabled the design on the other side to be given a good .relief which was essential to bring out the beauty; of a coin design. The' protective ' rini would check undue wear. The tiny letters "K.G." appearing under the diamond stop after, "1933" stood for Kruger Gray, the designpr of the coin. An attractive and distinctive feature of the obverse (or "head") side of they coin was that the crowned and robed bust ot King George V. was on a larger scale than on the Australian issues. This was made possible by the fact that the legend or inscription was shorter, enabling tho design to be carried through from tha top to the bottom of the coin. The lettering on both sides was bold and effective, and the coin could easily be distinguished from coins of. other British countries.

INSCRIPTION IN ENGLISH

The obverse design was identical with that of the Southern Khodesian coins which were the first in recent times to bear the inscriptions entirely in English. The title was in accordance with. tli<» Statute of Westminster. Following tradition, the King's head was crowned, as in all Dominion issues, thus distinguishing them from, the' Imperial issues, which have an uncrowned head. The portraiture, was an outstanding success, being earned out in good relief. . Contrary to a statement previously published, the New Zealand half-crown was not lighter than the Imperial half-crown which it was intended to replace. Mi. Sutherland said that he had had specimens of the two half-crowns weighed and had found that they were of exactly the same weight. He was not referring to the Imperial half-crowns issued TieWra 1920 which were of a different metal content Actually the Coinage Act recently passed fixed the weight and metal content of each coin to be issued, and no variation had" been made from the existing Imperial standard. . INTEREST IN COINS QUICKENED. Numismatists were naturally awaiting with interest the arrival of the other coins. ' The New ' Zealand Numismatic Society was satisfied that the Government liad made every reasonable effort to provide a fitting series of coin designs symbolic of New Zealand, .and confidently expected that the artistic merit of the new coins would, bear favourable comparison with that of the coins of any other part of the British Empire. . . In conclusion, Mr. Sutherland said that the issuing of New Zealand's own coin had quickened public interest in what he considered the instructive and interesting pursuit of coin, collecting and the study of numismatics generally. Thero wns no better .time than the present to start collecting, and He had no doubt that the interest would be reflected in an increase in the membership of the societywith which he was connected. »