Australian two-cent coin facts for kids
| Australia | |
| Value | 0.02 AUD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 5.20 g |
| Diameter | 21.59 mm |
| Thickness | 1.4 mm mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Composition | 97% copper 2.5% zinc 0.5% tin |
| Years of minting | 1966–1991 and 2006-16 |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia |
| Designer | Raphael Maklouf |
| Design date | 1985 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Frill-necked lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) |
| Designer | Stuart Devlin |
| Design date | 1966 |
The Australian two-cent coin was a small coin used in Australia. It was first made in 1966. This coin was the second smallest value coin. It was stopped from being used in 1992. The one-cent coin was also stopped then.
You can still use two-cent coins as money. But there are some rules. You can only pay up to 20 cents using two-cent coins. When it first came out in 1966, a two-cent coin could buy about the same as 30 cents today.
History of the Two-Cent Coin
The two-cent coin started being used on 14 February 1966. In its first year, coins were made at three different places. These places were the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, the Melbourne Mint, and the Perth Mint.
The only time these coins were made outside Australia was in 1981. They were made at the British Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales. Coins were also made in Canberra and Perth that year. No two-cent coins were made in 1986 or 1987. The last year they were made for general use was 1989.
From 1966 to 1984, the front of the coin showed Queen Elizabeth II. This picture was designed by Arnold Machin. In 1985, the picture changed to one by Raphael Maklouf. This design stayed until the coin was stopped in 1992.
Two-cent coins were only made for special coin sets in some later years. These years were 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, and 2006.
The government decided to stop making the coin in 1990. They stopped it because inflation made its value less. Also, the bronze metal was becoming expensive. Other countries also stopped their small bronze coins around this time. For example, New Zealand stopped its one and two-cent coins in 1990.
After the coins were stopped, some were melted down. The metal was used to make bronze medals. These medals were for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
What the Coin Looks Like
The back of the two-cent coin shows a Frill-necked lizard. This lizard is a type of reptile. It lives in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. The picture was designed by Stuart Devlin. He designed the pictures for all Australian decimal coins in 1966.
