Reginald George James Berry (20 June 1906 – 6 November 1979) was a New Zealand artist, noted for creating a large number of postage stamp and

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 ...

designs. He was born in London in 1906, and emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 1925. He went on to become a commercial artist at a

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

advertising agency, and in 1932 became a freelance artist. His work included book covers and illustrations, but is most famous for more than 1,000 stamp, coin and medal designs.Berry, Reginald George James
Biography at The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Berry's first successful stamp design was for New Zealand's 1933

health stamp Health stamps are a long-running series of charity stamp issued by New Zealand which include a premium for charitable causes in addition to the charge for postal service. Health stamps were issued annually from 1929 to 2016. Origins The idea of i ...

. For the next 20 years he designed a vast majority of the stamps issued by New Zealand. Increasing numbers of stamp issues meant that more artists were subsequently employed, but Berry continued designing stamps into the 1970s. Berry also designed stamps for

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, the

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Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

, and

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. After a lengthy process, Berry was the artist for the final designs selected for New Zealand's decimal coins,James Berry and New Zealand's 1967 Decimal Coins
Reserve Bank of New Zealand. introduced in 1967 in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents. The 1, 2 and 5-cent coins have been withdrawn from circulation, and the 20-cent redesigned. Berry's 10-cent and 50-cent designs remain in use today, although current coins are smaller than the originals. Berry died on 6 November 1979 in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

Awards and honours

During his life, Berry was accorded various awards and honours, including: * 1948 – described by the American journal ''Weekly Philatelic Gossip'' as "the greatest postage stamp designer in the world". * 1966 – named "Man of the Year" by the ''Dominion Sunday Times'' * 1968 – appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services as designer of postage stamps and decimal currency coins, in the

1968 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1968 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the '' Lo ...

* 1978 – honorary member of the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand. * 1980 – Gold Medal, Accademia Italiana dell'Arte e del Lavoro

Bibliography

* J.R. Tye – The Image Maker. The Art of James Berry. Hodder and Stoughton, Auckland London Sydney Toronto 1964. 192 Pages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, James 1906 births 1979 deaths

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

Numismatists 20th-century medallists 20th-century New Zealand sculptors 20th-century New Zealand male artists New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Artists from London English emigrants to New Zealand