Rare pieces of Eastern Bay of Plenty history including a postal note issued in Whakatāne in 1893 are among items going up for auction.
Mowbray Collectables in Ōtaki is holding its coin, banknote, medal and stamp auction on Friday and Saturday.
New Zealand issued postal notes were introduced in 1886, as a cheap way to transfer smaller amounts of money between people.
The postal note was issued in 1893 but Director David Galt said it was never cashed in, making it a “scarce” item.
Galt described postal notes as “the EFTPOS of the day, without the electronic transaction.”
The note original value was one shilling and sixpence (15 cents), but it now has an estimated value of $500.
According to the Reserve Bank's Inflation calculator, the postal note, given today, would be $18.80 in 2025, when adjusted for inflation.
Another historical going under the hammer, is a World War One medal from Julius Dunlop Donner.
Donner was born in Gisborne in 1888 to a wealthy family and migrated to London in 1916.
Once in London, Donner served in the British Royal Field Artillery as a lieutenant in World War One and received the Victory Medal.
The Victory Medal was awarded to all New Zealand troops serving overseas who fought in the First World War.
Donner returned to New Zealand after the war to resume farming in Whakatāne.
Galt said Donner faced notoriety and bankruptcy, in the years after the war, “through leading a fairly loose lifestyle by the standards of the day.”
Donner's mother, Galt said, refused to help him “even though they had the money, leaving him to his own devices.”
The auction would occur physically and online, so international bidders could participate,
Once the bidding process was complete, they would arrange shipping and could deliver items to nearly any country worldwide.
The auction would have a value of $1.5 million according to the Mowbray standards catalogue, Galt said.
The auction for both the items starts at 12pm Friday.
For more information on the auction, visit www.mowbrays.co.nz/mowbray-international/.