1/2 Penny - Elizabeth II 1st portrait

New Zealand retained the halfpenny well past the point of practical use, and its eventual abolition in 1965 came as part of the preparatory arithmetic for decimalisation, which followed in 1967. By the final years of issue, the coin's purchasing power had eroded to near nothing — a halfpenny bought little even in 1953. The two KM varieties reflect a modification to the obverse legend made after the coronation portrait was adjusted for Commonwealth standardisation.