2 Dollars 1975, New Zealand
| in Krause book | Number: 164c |
| Years of issue: | 1975 - 1977 |
| Edition: | -- |
| Signatures: | Chief Cashier: Mr. R.L. Knight (in office 1973 - 1977) |
| Serie: | Decimal system. The Third Issue |
| Specimen of: | 10.07.1967 |
| Material: | 100% raw cotton |
| Size (mm): | 145 x 72.5 |
| Printer: | TDLR (Thomas de la Rue & Company), London |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 - 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. Cook made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.
Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager and joined the Royal Navy in 1755. He saw action in the Seven Years' War, and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec. This helped bring Cook to the attention of the Admiralty and Royal Society. This notice came at a crucial moment in both Cook's career and the direction of British overseas exploration, and led to his commission in 1766 as commander of HM Bark Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages.
In three voyages Cook sailed thousands of miles across largely uncharted areas of the globe. He mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean in greater detail and on a scale not previously achieved. As he progressed on his voyages of discovery he surveyed and named features, and recorded islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions.
Cook was killed in Hawaii in a fight with Hawaiians during his third exploratory voyage in the Pacific in 1779. He left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge which was to influence his successors well into the 20th century and numerous memoria worldwide have been dedicated to him.
It is possible, that the prototype image of James Cook on the banknote was the work by artist Nathaniel Dance, finished in London on 25 May 1776.
Avers:
HM The Queen Elizabeth II.
This portrait of Her Majesty is adapted from a photograph, taken prior to a Royal Tour of India and Pakistan by Anthony Buckley in October 1960, and it is one of the more widely used images of The Queen.(Peter Symes)
I found this image here "National Portrait Gallery". The portrait on banknote is, probably, taken from this photo session.
Her Majesty is shown wearing Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara, the King George VI Festoon Necklace, and Queen Mary's Floret Earrings.
The Kokoshnik Tiara, which is sometimes known as the Russian Fringe Tiara, was designed in the style of a Russian peasant girl's headdress. The design of the Kokoshnik tiara was based on a similar tiara, owned by Queen Alexandra's sister, The Empress of Russia. Created by "Garrard", the tiara has sixty-one platinum bars set with 488 diamonds. The tiara was presented to Queen Alexandra, while still a princess, on the occasion of her silver wedding anniversary. It was a gift from three hundred and sixty-five peeresses of the realm. The Festoon Necklace was created from one hundred and five diamonds, at the request of King George VI, from diamonds he inherited on becoming King.
In 1950, King George VI had a diamond necklace created for his daughter Princess Elizabeth using 105 loose collets that were among the Crown heirlooms he inherited. (These, according to Hugh Roberts, had been used by Queen Mary to change the lengths of her multiple diamond collet necklaces, hence their loose status in the collection.) The end result is this take on a triple strand necklace: three strands of graduated collets suspended between two diamond triangles, with a single collet strand at the back. This is also called simply the Queen’s Festoon Necklace, though I’ll use George VI’s name to be a little more specific.
Even though her collection of diamond necklaces has vastly increased since 1950, this is still a favorite with the Queen and she wears it on a fairly regular basis."From her Majesty's Jewel vault".
These diamond and platinum earrings are another example of the multiple changes Queen Mary made to her jewels. The large central stones are the Mackinnon diamonds, a pair of solitaire earrings that were a wedding gift from Sir William Mackinnon to Mary for her wedding in 1893.
The stones were then set as the center of another pair, Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings. Later on, they were replaced and a new setting was created by Garrard, Queen Mary's Floret Earrings. In their new setting, each one is surrounded by seven slightly smaller diamonds. The earrings were inherited by the Queen on Queen Mary's death in 1953. She wears them for occasions like the State Opening of Parliament, the Garter Day ceremony, and other formal events. "From her Majesty's Jewel vault"
Various geometric patterns used to supply the necessary security and enhance the design. Value of note on top left and bottom right corners with the serial number opposite. Central portion carries the words: “This note is legal tender for....”.
Revers:
Photo: Kimball Chen
The Rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris, Tītipounamu) is a small insectivorous passerine bird, that is endemic to New Zealand. The true habitat of this bird is thinly wooded forests, but other similar New Zealand species live near rocky outcrops. The Rifleman is the most widespread species of acanthisittids in the two main islands of New Zealand. However the bird occurs only rarely in latitudes north of Te Aroha. The North Island subspecies, granti, occurs mainly in lowland tawa forest, while the South Island subspecies, chloris, is found in high altitude beech forest or lowland areas forested with podocarp.
The Rifleman is named after a colonial New Zealand regiment because its plumage drew similarities with the military uniform of a rifleman.
Photo: Sawyer Burn Track
Mistletoe (Peraxilla tetrapetala), a parasite shrub growing mostly on native beech trees. It looks like the red mistletoe, but has larger leaves and flowers. The largest species of mistletoe in New Zealand, sometimes reaches up to 3 meters in diameter. Scarlet mistletoe usually accompanies 16 different plant species, but is most common on a silver beech.
Mistletoe populations have declined all over New Zealand since the early 1900s mainly due to possum browse, vegetation clearance and decline in native bird species, which act as pollinators and seed-dispersers.
Rats are also suspected of eating mistletoe and insects damage them.
If this decline continues, more local populations may disappear and, in the long term, species could go extinct nationwide.
The Loranthaceous Mistletoes of New Zealand have long been recognized as attractive, unusual and valued components of our forest flora. Few people will forget the sight of a beech (Nothofagus) forest at the height of summer when the beech mistletoes Alepis and Peraxilla are in full bloom. So spectacular are these flowers, that a small sprig of one of these species, the scarlet mistletoe (Peraxilla colensoi), was selected to grace the front of former $2 note. This act is the only instance where a nation
ally listed threatened plant species has been depicted on New Zealand currency. Unfortunately, the reasons behind the choice of flower had little to do with raising public awareness of the need to conserve mistletoes, but rather was a recognition of the flower’s beauty. So it is perhaps today a matter of some irony that at the time of the change to decimal currency, this mistletoe, along with our other Loranthaceae, was a common species, and that now scarlet mistletoe, like the $2 note it once graced, is fa st becoming a curiosity of the past.
Denominations in numerals bottom left and top right. In words top left.
Comments:
The Dollar introduced since 10.07.1967 instead of the NZ pound, 1 Pound = $2.
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