Description
New Zealand, British Commonwealth, King George V (1911-1936 AD), Silver ‘Waitangi’ Crown dated 1935, issued in commemoration of the Treaty of Waitangi 6th Feb 1840. Obverse: Crowned Bust of King George V facing left, legend around, “GEORGE V KING EMPEROR”. Reverse: Crown above Maori Chief Tamati Waka Nene and British Captain William Hobson, R.N., facing one another and shaking hands, legend around, “NEW ZEALAND CROWN + 1935”, “WAITANGI” in exergue. KM-6. Certified and Graded by PCGS as Mint State 62 (#38210212). Some minor hair lines, otherwise the detail is quite clearly mint state – a high grade for one of the iconic world and British Commonwealth crown coins.
“The Waitangi Crown, which was issued in 1935, is not strictly a commemorative coin, but the circumstances of its issue means it functions like one. It was struck after the New Zealand Numismatic Society approached the government to suggest a new coin marking the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, in 1840. The coin was designed by New Zealand artist James Berry and adapted by British artist Percy Metcalfe. It shows Ngāpuhi chief Tāmati Waka Nene and the first governor of New Zealand, William Hobson, shaking hands above the legend ‘Waitangi'” (Te Ara, The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand). According NZ Coin Catalogue, there is a total of 1128 ‘Waitangi’ Crowns struck, 364 as proofs included in a proof set and 764 as uncirculated pieces.
Sold via consignment into Auction for $6,344 (incl BP).