New Zealand twenty-cent coin pegged to the British pound, was changed to a decimal dollar at a rate of two dollars to a pound. Therefore, 20 cents was worth a tenth of a pound. The 20-cent coin replaced the florin coin which had been worth two shillings, or a tenth of a pound. Like the florin, the new 20-cent coin was made of cupronickel, 28.58 mm in diameter, 11.31 grams in weight, and had 100% edge milling. The 20-cent coin retained the presence of a kiwi on the reverse of the florin, albeit in a different design. The original obverses of 20-cent coins depicted
Twopence (British pre-decimal coin) silver coin being minted. To thwart the further issuance of private token coinage, in 1817 an Act of Parliament was passed which forbade the manufacture of private token coinage under very severe penalties. A short-lived twopence denomination in silver was also produced, with circulation issues in 1817, 1818 and 1820, after which silver twopence were only issued as Maundy money. In 1857, a survey by the Royal Mint found that around one-third of all copper coinage was worn or mutilated, often by advertisements. A couple of years later Thomas Graham, the Master of the Mint, convinced William Ewart Gladstone, then