We always thought this story started when in 1964, Eddie Cornish with a budding numismatic interest, started Hutt Coin Company, and published one of New Zealand's first dedicated coin magazines. 

Only through a recent discovery of some previously unknown family archives, did we happen upon a number of speeches, written by Eddie, that he gave at various coin shows around the world. At one speech given at a large coin convention in the United States, in the 1970’s, the speech reads “I got into the business through my father, who during the great depression of the 1930’s, bought and sold stamps and coins as a way to earn some extra money during those terrible years.”

Eddie continued to publish the coin magazine and expanded the business by retailing coins to collectors, just as the hobby went through a large growth period with the changeover to decimal coinage, alongside running Computer Consultants Limited (CCL) which at one time was New Zealand’s largest publicly traded company.

Mike Cornish followed his father’s footsteps and took over in 1984. Since then, the company has rebranded as Hutt Commemoratives, Pacific Commemoratives Limited, Pacific Coin Company, and now finally from the year 2000, as Heritage International Limited, trading as Heritage Gold, our name today. Through the years, we expanded nationally, and globally, with regular buying and selling trips around NZ, and to the UK, USA, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, and Europe.

Mike has a passion for hunting down and unearthing interesting, quirky, and valuable items. Over the years, the company has handled such incredible items as a signed letter by Captain James Cook from the Endeavour, a Pattern Waitangi Crown, and even amassed a collection of 14 English silver hammered coins – being some of the finest known examples.

In 2021, Mike’s son Nate, joined Heritage, becoming the fourth generation of Cornish’s, with his own budding interest in coins, antique silverware, and watches.

Now in 2025 as we open our new flagship store and showroom in Petone, Mike's daughter Hannah, has joined the team to run the shop, our new base of operations and retail presence.

Trust is important in Family and in Business, and as a fourth-generation, family business you could say it is in our blood.

We pride ourselves on the trust we maintain as a family, and with our vendors and customers. We look forward to being able to share that trust, and knowledge with our customers going forward, for generations to come.