Discarded designs from New Zealand's 1933 coinage

[<k>]

Compare L C Mitchell's issued halfpenny (top) with Kruger-Gray's unadopted threepence.

[Figleaf]

In spite of the bronze look of the design, it was meant to be silver. Does colour make a difference on design?

Peter

[<k>]

In spite of the bronze look of the design, it was meant to be silver. Does colour make a difference on design?

Peter

Yes, the threepence (but not the halfpenny) was meant to be silver. In my childhood, I did find the golden colour of the 12-sided brass "threepenny bit" to be very attractive. It also stood out, as all the other coins were cupro-nickel or bronze (some older semi-silver coins still circulated in those days). Different "colours" (metals) also help you to distinguish coins. However, here in the UK, the Royal Mint always takes care to consult the blind when making any changes to our circulation coins.

[Mark240590]

This is extremely interesting and you can clearly see that the loser in this case managed to get similar designs onto the Fijian coins !

[<k>]

Here you can see some unadopted designs by L C Mitchell, who designed the reverses of New Zealand's issued halfpenny and penny:

Unadopted designs by L C Mitchell

Click on the images to see a larger version.

[<k>]

A pattern New Zealand shilling of 1933, as designed by George-Kruger Gray.

Image courtesy of PCGS The Standard for the Rare Coin Industry.