1949 New Zealand crown

Crown

New Zealand
Value	5/— (5 shillings, or ¼ £NZ)
Mass	28.27 g
Diameter	38.61 mm
Edge	Milled
Shape	Round
Composition	50% Ag
Years of minting	1949
Mintage	200,020
Obverse
Design	Bust of George VI
Designer	Humphrey Paget
Reverse
Design	Silver fern surrounded by four stars of the Southern Cross
Designer	James Berry

A commemorative crown coin of the New Zealand pound was produced for a planned visit by King George VI in 1949. Having first visited the country in 1927 in his duties as the Duke of York, proposals for a visit by the monarch to New Zealand in 1940 were postponed by the outbreak of World War II. A 1949 tour by the king and queen to Australia and New Zealand was announced in early 1948, the first visit of a reigning monarch to the dominion.

A Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand proposal to issue a commemorative coin into circulation was supported by Minister of Finance Walter Nash. Sketches by New Zealand artist James Berry were modelled by Royal Mint designer Percy Metcalfe, and the coin entered production in late 1948. Citing declining health, the king indefinitely postponed the tour in November 1948, sparking fears by the Royal Numismatic Society that the coins may be melted down. The New Zealand government responded positively to calls to continue with the issue of the coinage. Made available at face value at local banks throughout New Zealand in November, the coins were additionally distributed to collectors overseas via consulates-general in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.