The New Zealand ten-cent coin is the lowest-denomination
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
of the
New Zealand dollar
The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New ...
. The 10-cent coin was introduced when the New Zealand dollar was introduced on 10 July 1967, replacing the New Zealand shilling coin. In 2006 its size was reduced as part of a revision of New Zealand's coins, which also saw its alloy become copper-plated steel.
Design
1967 to 2006
On 10 July 1967, New Zealand decimalised its currency, replacing the
pound with the dollar at a rate of one pound to two dollars and one shilling to ten cents. The 10-cent coin was introduced to directly replace the one-shilling coin.
The coin was made of
cupronickel
Cupronickel or copper-nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper that contains nickel and strengthening elements, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. (Monel is a nickel-copper alloy that contains a minimu ...
, 23.62 mm in diameter, and weighed 5.66 grams. It included the words "one shilling" for the years 1967, 1968 and 1969; this was dropped in 1970.
2006 onwards
On 31 July 2006, the new 10-cent coin was released alongside the new 20-cent and 50-cent coins as part of the
Reserve Bank
A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union,
and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...
's "Change for the better" silver coin replacement. The new 10-cent coin had the same reverse as the 1967 to 2006 minted coins and the same obverse as the 1999-onward coins, but the coins were reduced in size. The new 10-cent coins are made of steel, plated with copper. The new coins are 20.5 mm in diameter and 3.30 grams in weight. They have unmilled edges. It also appears that the new coin has taken on a possible new feature located between the tongue of the tiki: two small letters, J on the left side and B on the right, engraved into the coin.
The old 10-cent coins were demonetised on 1 November 2006. A total of 260,210,000 old 10 cent coins were issued, a total value of $26,021,000.00
From 2006 to 2019, 340,500,000 new 10 cent coins have been issued, a total value of $34,050,000.00
Future
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, the Reserve Bank said it would exhaust its existing coin stocks before introducing new coins featuring
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
. Based on current stock levels, this would likely be several years away.
See also
*
Coins of the New Zealand dollar
The coins of the New Zealand dollar are used for the smallest physical currency available in New Zealand. The current denominations are ten cents, twenty cents, fifty cents, one dollar and two dollars. The $1 and $2 coins are minted in a go ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Zealand 10 Cent Coin
10
Ten-cent coins
1967 establishments in New Zealand