Coronation Crown 1953, Coin from New Zealand - detailed information

Laureate bust of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (the effigy by Mary Gillick known as the "First portrait"); the designer's initials, M.G., appear incuse on the base of the neck truncation. The monarch's legend QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND + runs continuously all around the bust.

At centre, the crowned royal monogram E II R; below, a Maori carving; all within New Zealand Southern Cross represented by four stars; around, NEW ZEALAND CROWN + 1953.

From New Zealand Coin Catalogue, First Edition 1965:

"Total 7,000 proof sets containing crown, half-crown, florin, shilling, sixpence, threepence, penny and halfpenny. The remaining 250,000 crowns, enclosed in small plastic cases, were released to the public through the trading banks at five shillings and sixpence each."

Reference to original information:

84th Annual Report of the Deputy Master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint 1953, p.8.:

"New Zealand - 250,000 crowns, 120,000 halfcrowns, 250,000 florins, 200,000 shillings, 1,200,000 sixpences, 4,000,000 threepences, 2,400,000 pennies and 120,000 halfpence were struck.

All bore on the obverse the uncrowned effigy of Her Majesty by Mrs. Gillick, O.B.E., together with the inscription "QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND". The reverse designs of the denominations from the halfpenny to the halfcrown were unchanged, but the reverse design of the crown was new.

It consisted of a Maori carving, surmounted by the crowned Royal Cypher, all between five-pointed stars, representing the Southern Cross, and the inscription "NEW ZEALAND CROWN 1953". Mr. T.H. Paget modeled the design in plaster according to a drawing from New Zealand. The design is illustrated in Plate A, Fig. 9.

7,000 specimen sets of all denominations were also supplied in cases."