Lot 962

Description

Philippines, Visit of the Prime Minister of New Zealand (Robert D.Muldoon), 1980, struck in oxidised silver plate (80mm), by "El Oro" per J.J.Tupaz Jr (M&P.1980/5). Uncirculated and extremely rare, in a fitted wooden case of issue.

Together with an enveloped card printed 'President and Mrs. Ferdinand E.Marcos', addressed to 'Mr Mervyn Cull.'

An example described as 'yellow bronze' was sold in the Sir Robert Muldoon Collection, Spink Noble Numismatics, Sale 42 (lot 2020), July 1993.

Mervyn Cull was a journalist who presumably was in the Philippines covering the Muldoon Visit, 27-30 January, 1980.

For most of his half-century in journalism Mervyn Cull worked at the New Zealand Herald, sub-editing, editing feature pages, and writing editorials, but he loved challenges and, when opportunities arose, he grabbed them. He sent daily columns from Wellington, two series of articles from the Soviet Union, and numerous dispatches from Asian countries. Whether recalling his experiences with the KGB or recounting the rescue of a waterlogged hawk with a broken leg, he wrote with clarity, perceptiveness and wit, and his sense of fun was always close. During his career Mervyn Cull was invited by David Lange, then Prime Minister, to become his chief press secretary. He wryly described his brief tenure of the office as "one of the less glorious episodes of my career" but was grateful for it because it led indirectly to a contract in Beijing with the Chinese state news agency Xinhua and "two of the happiest years of my life," despite the interruption of the Tiananmen massacre.

Mr Cull passed away in Northland at the age of 87 on 30 January 2017.