{"product_id":"2026-1oz-nz-queen-bee-coloured-silver-proof-coin","title":"2026 1oz NZ Queen Bee Coloured Silver Proof Coin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHoney bees have been kept in \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eNew\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eZealand\u003c\/span\u003e for more than 150 years. It’s likely that Mary Bumby, the sister of a Methodist missionary, introduced these special insects to \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eNew\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eZealand\u003c\/span\u003e by bringing two hives ashore when she landed at the Māngungu Mission Station at Hokianga in March 1839.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBees thrived in the \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eNew\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eZealand\u003c\/span\u003e bush, especially in the Bay of Islands, and the number of wild colonies multiplied rapidly. By the 1860s, bee nests in the bush were plentiful, and honey was being sold by Māori, the country’s first commercial beekeepers. Following the introduction of the Langstroth hive, commercial production of honey in \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eNew\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eZealand\u003c\/span\u003e took off in the 1870s. This box-framed beehive model is still used today, and each year the \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eNew\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eZealand\u003c\/span\u003e honey industry contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the national economy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis coin was created with help from Apiculture \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eNew\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eZealand\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMintage of 1,2000 Worldwide\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NZ Post","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48302737391861,"sku":"CU26CSPCN","price":295.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0702\/7802\/1365\/files\/1030_Queen-Bee_Reverse__84762.jpg?v=1782180955","url":"https:\/\/collectablesemporium.au\/products\/2026-1oz-nz-queen-bee-coloured-silver-proof-coin","provider":"Collectables Emporium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}