The Kōtuku Error - A New Discovery

I He Kōtuku Rerenga Tahi

The reverse of New Zealand's two-dollar coin belongs to the kōtuku, the white heron — a bird that in Māori tradition stands for the rare and the precious.

“A white heron’s flight is seen but once”.

II A Coin Without Its Edge

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s specifications for the 2015 $2 cite “Fully Milled with A Channel With Ten Raised Beads”. First discovered by numismatist Aidan Work in Wellington, this newly discovered type has a milled edge but is missing its security groove with proof fields.

III Echoes of 1990

Collectors of New Zealand coinage may recall a historic similarity. In 1990 — the very first year of the two-dollar coin — a small number of $2 coins were missing security grooves.

IV A Discovery, Brought to Auction

Aventine has become New Zealand’s market leader in rarities. This find follows the New Zealand error coin highlight of this decade: the first sale of a certified example of the 2024 New Zealand–Solomon Islands Mule 50 Cents, which we brought to market at the Auckland Numismatic Expo.