Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 2 Dollars 1999-2023, KM# 121, New Zealand, Elizabeth II
  • 2 Dollars 1999-2023, KM# 121, New Zealand, Elizabeth II
Obverse

Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley

NEW ZEALAND ELIZABETH II
IRB
2001

Reverse

Kotuku (great egret), surrounded by a Maori motif, denomination below.

The eastern great egret (Ardea alba modesta), a white heron in the genus Ardea, is usually considered a subspecies of the great egret (A. alba). It was first described by British ornithologist John Edward Gray in 1831.

In New Zealand, where it is known by its Māori name kōtuku, the eastern great egret is highly endangered, with only one breeding site at Okarito Lagoon. It shares this site with the Kōtuku ngutupapa, or Royal spoonbill.

Engraver: Robert Maurice Conly

TWO DOLLARS

Edge

2 Dollars

4th portrait
KM# 121
Characteristics
Material Aluminium Bronze
Weight 10 g
Diameter 26.5 mm
Thickness 2.7 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Royal Australian Mint (RAM)
Royal Canadian Mint (RCM)
Royal Mint
The Perth Mint

Related coins

3rd portrait

Aluminium Bronze, 10 g, ⌀ 26.5 mm