7 May 2013

Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II – through the years

The 60th anniversary of the Coronation is being commemorated with a special stamp and coin issue showing the changing portrayals of Queen Elizabeth II on New Zealand coins.

The Coronation occurred on 2 June 1953, and the earliest image in this special coin and stamp issue dates from that year – showing the then-27-year-old Elizabeth in profile.
The other images in the collection show official portraits from 1956, 1967, 1979, 1986 and 1999 – the most recent being the portrait which is still used on New Zealand legal tender coins.

All six portraits also appear on a special collectors coin, pressed from an ounce of pure silver – with the 1999 portrait on the ‘heads’ side of the coin, and the five earlier images on the ‘tails’.

“These stamps and coins have a real sense of historical significance,” says Simon Allison, stamps spokesman for New Zealand Post.

“Most New Zealanders alive today have known no other Monarch – so pretty much every time they’ve flipped a coin, Queen Elizabeth’s portrait – in its changing forms - has represented ‘heads’.

“We’ve really gone the extra mile with these collectables,” Simon Allison says.

“The portraits on these stamps have been created using a special high-gloss metallic foil, which has been embossed at multiple levels.  That gives these portraits a strong reflective shine, reminiscent of coins, which is quite stunning to behold.

“The solid silver coin is also a wonderful specimen – with a striking contrast between the frosted backdrop and the highly detailed three-dimensional portraits.  It is legal tender, with a $1 face value, and it comes in a very elegant case with a certificate of authenticity.

“We’re making exactly 1,953 of these coins available worldwide – to match the year of Her Majesty’s Coronation.

“There’s a real pleasure in producing stamps and coins of this quality, which you just know will end up in many cases being passed down the generations as a reminder of this very special moment in history,” Simon Allison says.

The stamps are available in the following denominations: 70c (two designs), $1.40, $1.90, $2.40 and $2.90. A miniature sheet, first day covers, a Presentation Pack and a special Limited Edition collector’s pack are also available.

Full details of this stamp and coin issue can be viewed here:
     Stamps: nzpost.co.nz/queenscoronation
     Coin: nzcoins.co.nz

Queen Elizabeth II – 60th Anniversary of the Coronation stamp products will be available from Wednesday 8 May 2013 at selected PostShops, REAL Aotearoa stores, and online at www.nzpost.co.nz/queenscoronation or by phoning 0800 782 677. The Limited Edition coin is already available online for pre-order and will be in-store from mid-June.

Note: New Zealand Post is authorised by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand as the only official issuer of legal tender New Zealand commemorative coins.

ENDS

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