Hamilton, New Zealand Temple

History

Missionary work among the Polynesians was progressing. The Saints gave their all, traveling long distances to the closest temple in Hawaii, but they were a people of humble means and the cost to attend the temple made it difficult. They decided to turn to the Lord, and Church Headquarters, in prayer and supplication, hoping to be blessed with a closer temple. In 1955 President David O. McKay visited Hamilton, New Zealand looking for a temple site. He visited hills that were sacred to the Maori people, land that had served as a sanctuary from wars, a place where the women, children, elderly and wounded took refuge.* Miraculously, the land was purchased and that September a temple was announced. The Saints greeted the news with joy and thanks, volunteering their labor and work began immediately. The Hamilton temple was built entirely by volunteer missionary laborers who were fed and housed by local Saints. A date was set for the open house and the workers hurried to meet it. Many worked from dawn to dusk, others refused to take time off during heavy rains. Still, they feared they would not meet their anticipated finish date, so they began working round the clock, using the headlights from vehicles to light their way. At 1:00 am the morning of the dedication, the last of the furniture was put in place. The first of two temples in 1958 (the second is the London, England temple), on April 20, President David O. McKay dedicated this beautiful temple. Many miracles made it possible, it truly was a spiritual endeavor. This temple stands as a wonderful reminder of what faith combined with work can build.

How Temple Coins are Made

Dave started creating jewelry using metals in 1992, ten years later he had worked with nearly every metal in the jewelry industry! Moving to Thailand, he spent the next nine years perfecting his skills with various metals, 3D models and 3D printers. He dreamed of producing something that would bring delight to purchasers and carry with it positive feelings that would touch the souls of those who owned them. In 2014 he was able to realize his dream. Returning to the US, he uses Lost-wax casting to create a metal master from brass alloy for each temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, depicting, in the highest degree of definition possible, a coin with a 3D image of a temple. The reverse of each coin is cast with the words “Stand ye in holy places.”

Purchase one or two of the temples that hold special meaning to you. Commemorate your visit to a temple by picking up the corresponding coin. Celebrate a milestone in a loved one’s life by gifting them a temple coin to inspire them. Collect them all or just a few. Some are cast in precious metals, making each coin an investment that will be a treasure in every sense of the word.

Additional Information

• Free Shipping on orders over $35.
• All coins are 1 1/4 in.
• Pewter Coins are cast from lead free alloys.
• Brass Coins cast from a silicone, brass alloy.  Giving our brass coins a rich yellow gold color for a fraction of the cost of gold coins.
• Silver Coins are cast from an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
• Gold Coins cast in 14K Gold are 58.5% pure gold.  The remaining alloy consists of a copper and silver mix.
• All of our coins are developed, cast, and finished locally in our facility in Logan, UT, U.S.A.

*Source Note: “Mormon Temple, Temple View” (brochure), pages 13-14.