Catalog
6 Pence - George VI 1st type
| Issuer | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937-1946 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound (1840-1967) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A Huia bird, an iconic and now-extinct New Zealand species, is depicted in left profile perched upon a slender branch, its distinctive long curved bill clearly rendered. The design, executed by George Kruger Gray, is set within a plain field framed by a beaded border. The legend NEW·ZEALAND arcs above the central motif, while the denomination SIXPENCE and the date appear in two lines below the branch. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
New Zealand's silver coinage was struck at the Royal Mint in London through most of this period, shifting to the Royal Mint's Pretoria branch in South Africa during the war years when Atlantic shipping made London production impractical. The .500 fine silver standard had been adopted across British dominion coinages in 1920, halving the silver content from the earlier sterling specification — a wartime economy measure that simply never got reversed.
The 1946 issue closed out this type ahead of George VI's title change following Indian independence in 1947, which required new obverse dies dropping the *IND:IMP* designation.