The only bimetallic coin New Zealand has ever issued is the 1994 50 cents with the barque Endeavour: a golden aluminium-bronze centre set in a cupronickel ring. The occasion was the 225th anniversary of 1769, when James Cook’s ship, on his first Pacific voyage, reached the shores of New Zealand.

The reverse shows the Endeavour under sail with Mount Taranaki rising behind, the inscription «ENDEAVOUR» and the value «FIFTY CENTS». The design goes back to James Berry: Cook’s ship had been on New Zealand’s 50 cents since decimal currency arrived in 1967, and the anniversary issue carried the familiar scene into a new technology.

The obverse bears Raphael Maklouf’s third portrait of Elizabeth II, wearing the George IV State Diadem, with the legend «ELIZABETH II NEW ZEALAND». The coin was struck by the Royal Mint for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand; 52,500 were made in base metal, and silver and gold versions also exist.

The anniversary 50 cents remained legal tender until 2006, when New Zealand moved to smaller coins and the old large 50 cents lost their status. For a New Zealand collection it is the key commemorative of the 1990s, for a thematic one it shows one of the most recognisable ships in numismatics, and for a collection of world bimetallic coins it is its country’s sole representative.

Grade UNC: the coin never circulated, shows no wear and keeps its mint lustre, which in a bimetallic piece shows especially in the contrast between the golden centre and the pale ring.

Other coins from the VPcoins catalogue will help you continue a series or start a new collection.