Meet Us at MIF 2026 Maastricht - The World’s Largest Paper Money Fair  

An Unmissable Global Sale with One of the Largest Collections of New Zealand Banknotes in Many Years

LIVE NOW

Sale Closes: May 6 11AM BST / May 6 10PM NZST

Contact Us for any NZ specialist literary references required, such as New Zealand Trading Banks and Early Paper Currency by Andrew Clifford, Banknotes of the Bank of New Zealand and New Zealand Pre Decimal History Noted by Robert Pepping, and Decimal Issues by Scott de Young. 

The Colin Megaw "Jersey" Collection Sale represents one of the most significant offerings of New Zealand Banknotes in the world. Following his passing in 2025, the Megaw Family Collection will be presented with Spink throughout 2026.

Colin’s ambitious pursuit of attempting to secure an example of every obtainable New Zealand banknote type is reflected in the vast range of his collection, surpassed by very few. His legacy in collecting extends far beyond the notes themselves; he was widely respected for his generosity, his willingness to share his knowledge, and his support of fellow collectors throughout their respective journeys—including my own.

The “Jersey” pseudonym pays tribute to the dairy farm in Tikorangi, which he operated alongside his family, renowned for its award-winning Jersey cattle.

This is one of the largest collections of New Zealand banknotes to come onto the market, featuring over 100 trading banknotes and fifty-pound notes, which, in such incredible volume, are only seen in specialist reference books.

Joshua Lee | Spink New Zealand Representative 

Excerpt from Spink Insider 

For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, New Zealand’s monetary system was shaped by the now-unfamiliar practice of commercial trading banks issuing banknotes for circulation. Each of the six major banks listed below issued legal tender New Zealand currency with the Crown's permission.

Surviving examples of these early colonial banknotes are scarce, particularly in high grades.

In the wake of the Great Depression and amid other economic challenges, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1933 was passed, establishing the Reserve Bank of New Zealand as the sole issuer of legal tender banknotes from 1 August 1934.

A Modern Collecting Field

It is often overlooked that collecting New Zealand banknotes is a relatively modern endeavour — a factor that has resulted in the extreme rarity of many early issues and high denominations. 

When trading banknotes were withdrawn in 1934, and later, when pre-decimal Reserve Bank notes were replaced during Decimalisation in 1967, very few individuals retained obsolete notes. Most were redeemed at face value and destroyed as banknotes were not widely viewed as collectibles, and retaining obsolete currency was neither financially practical nor widely considered. 

By the 1970s, interest in banknote collecting was finally taking off in New Zealand. One anecdotal account recalls a New Zealand coin dealer purchasing a Series 1 “Māori Chief” Lefeaux £50 note for $110 — slightly above its face value of £50/$100 NZD — and reselling it shortly thereafter for $125. Today, such an example would be expected to sell for more than £20,000.

As a whole, this landmark sale represents one of the most comprehensive offerings, spanning the complete evolution of New Zealand currency from the earliest private trading bank issues of the 1800s through the transition to a centralised monetary authority with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and into the modern era.