Fifty sent pieces were introduced in Australia and New Zealand with the advent of decimal currency.
The 1966 Australian coins were round and had a high silver content (80%). Within twelve months the silver price had risen substantially and the coins were suddenly worth more than their face value Also, they were not much larger than the twenty cent coin, which had caused confusion. They were discontinued in 1969 and replaced with a 12 sided, cupro-nickel coin.
New Zealand fifty cent pieces were the same size and shape. They were released in 1967, when the Kiwis also went decimal.
While I was decluttering recently I discovered that we had one of each coin, possibly kept by my late father-in-law.
Both are said to be worth hundreds of dollars. Of course this could be an urban myth, like selling a Black Prince cicada to the chemist for a fortune.😎
Let’s look at the Aussie coin first. Ours seems to be in pretty good condition.
Now there are valid reasons why, even circulated, this coin could be worth something.
Sounds promising.
Here is the New Zealand coin we have. Not mint condition, but excellent in my (admittedly uneducated) opinion.
Oh yes, 750,000 of these coins have a dot over the 1 in the date. As you can see, ours doesn’t, which is probably not a good sign. 😨 There were a few million produced before there was a smaller, replacement coin. It’s hard to imagine there are not vast quantities lurking in kiwi homes.
Anyway, as we were going to Sydney for a few days I thought I would take the coins into Town Hall Coins and Collectibles.
Worth a try!
RESULT – FIFTY CENT PIECES
OK, well the offer on the NZ 50 cent piece was, wait for it ….thirty cents. 😨 I told them they could have it for nothing.
The silver content of the Australian coin netted me a bit more, although the price of silver had plunged the day before. Never mind, $30 would at least buy one Sydney cocktail. My partner would have to settle for a beer.🍸
But wait….I did have something else that was a bit special. A 2012 red poppy Remembrance Day $2 coin, still in its trifold packet. It was the first time colour had been used on an Australian Coin.
Well, that’s certainly a better return. A few green notes!
I will spend the money on a special dinner for us in the city, and make a toast to my great-uncle and his 12th Battalion mates. They took part in the dawn landing at Gallipoli and fought at Lone Pine.
By the way, I had inadvertently left one part of my ‘collection’ at our hotel…five crisp, paper $1 notes. They were in a book I was reading, to keep them flat. However, I discovered they were pretty much worthless, so I think I will use them as bookmarks from now on. 😎
Not worth the paper they were printed on!
IN CONCLUSION
You know the expression ‘coining it’ meaning to rake in the cash? Well take it from me, collecting coins is probably not the way to do it.
Commemoratives coins and tokens are all about emotion. See this 50 cent piece I’ve had for over 50 years? It’s currently worth about $19.
The classic example of an emotion driven purchase was when my partner and I visited the Perth Mint at the time of our 40th wedding anniversary. Not that there was ever going to be a commercial value to this romantic folly, but I think we would have been better off buying lunch!
Our names and wedding date were on the reverse.
