Australian two-dollar coin facts for kids
| Australia | |
| Value | 2.00 AUD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 6.60 g |
| Diameter | 20.50 mm |
| Thickness | 2.80 mm |
| Edge | interrupted milled 20 notches |
| Composition | 92% copper, 6% aluminium, 2% nickel |
| Years of minting | 1988–present |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Design date | 1999 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | An Aboriginal Australian elder (based on Gwoja Tjungurrayi) |
| Designer | Horst Hahne |
| Design date | 1987 |
The Australian two-dollar coin is the coin with the highest value in Australia. It was first made on 20 June 1988. This coin replaced the two-dollar paper note. Coins last much longer than paper notes, which is why the change was made.
You can use $2 coins to pay for things. They are legal tender for amounts up to 10 times the coin's value. So, you can pay up to $20 using these coins.
What the Coin Looks Like
All Australian coins show the portrait of the reigning monarch on the front. This is called the obverse side. For the $2 coin, this has always been Queen Elizabeth II.
- From 1988 to 1998, the Queen's portrait was designed by Raphael Maklouf.
- In 1999, a new portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley was used.
- Since 2019, a portrait by artist Jody Clark has been in circulation.
The back of the coin is called the reverse side. It was designed by Horst Hahne. It shows an Aboriginal Australian elder. This drawing was inspired by Ainslie Roberts' art of Gwoya Tjungurrayi. He was a Warlpiri-Anmatyerre man from the Northern Territory of Australia. He was also known as "One Pound Jimmy."
The design also includes the Southern Cross constellation. You can also see native grasstrees on the coin. Coins made in 1988 and 1989 have the designer's initials, Horst Hahne. These initials were removed from 1990 onwards.
All two-dollar coins are made at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. In the first year, over 160 million coins were made. The coin has been made every year since, except for 1991.
In 2012, the Royal Australian Mint released a special $2 coin. It was the first time the design was different. This coin features a poppy flower. It also has the words Lest we Forget and Remembrance Day. Another version of this coin had a red poppy in the middle. This made it Australia's first coloured coin in circulation.
On 21 June 2013, another special $2 coin was released. This coin celebrated 60 years since Queen Elizabeth II became Queen. It has a purple circle around St Edward's Crown.
The Royal Australian Mint also launched a coin program for 100 years of Anzac Day.
- In 2014, a green coin was released. It had two green circles and a dove. The word Remembrance was at the top.
- In 2015, a red-striped coin was released. It had five crosses among poppies. It also said Lest we Forget.
- A fifth coin was also released in 2015. It was orange. It showed a sun with birds and lines from the Flanders Field poem.
In 2016, special coins were made for the Rio Olympic Games. Five different coins were released. A Paralympic Games coin was also issued.
Some people thought the $2 coin was too small when it first came out. They worried it might be lost easily. Or that two 5-cent pieces could be coloured to look like it. However, the $2 coin has special grooves on its side. This makes it easy to tell apart from other coins.
How Many Coins Are Made
The $2 coin is only made at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. The only year no $2 coins were made was 1991. This was because so many were made when the coin was first introduced in 1988.
| Year | Mintage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988* | 160,900,000 | ||
| 1989* | 31,600,000 | ||
| 1990 | 10,300,000 | ||
| 1991 | – | ||
| 1992 | 15,500,000 | ||
| 1993 | 4,900,000 | ||
| 1994 | 22,100,000 | ||
| 1995 | 15,500,000 | ||
| 1996 | 13,900,000 | ||
| 1997 | 19,000,000 | ||
| 1998 | 8,700,000 | ||
| 1999 | 27,300,000 | ||
| 2000 | 5,700,000 | ||
| 2001 | 35,600,000 | ||
| 2002 | 29,700,000 | ||
| 2003 | 13,700,000 | ||
| 2004 | 20,000,000 | ||
| 2005 | 45,500,000 | ||
| 2006 | 40,500,000 | ||
| 2007 | 26,000,000 | ||
| 2008 | 47,000,000 | ||
| 2009 | 74,500,000 | ||
| 2010 | 36,500,000 | ||
| 2011 | 1,800,000 | ||
| 2012 | 5,900,000 | ||
| 2013 | 35,100,000 | ||
| 2014 | 39,900,000 | ||
| 2015 | 22,000,000 | ||
| 2016 | 12,900,000 | ||
| 2017 | 16,400,000 | ||
| 2018 | 14,600,000 | ||
| 2019 | IRB 9,000,000
JC 2,000,000 |
||
| "*" denotes that coins were minted with the designer's initials | |||
| References: | |||
Special Commemorative Coins
The Royal Australian Mint often releases special $2 coins. These coins celebrate important events or themes. Many of these coins feature unique colours or designs. Here are some examples:
| Year | Subject | Colours/Features | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Poppy | None | 5,800,000 |
| Red | 500,000 | ||
| 2012 | Commemorating Remembrance Day with an image of a red poppy. Designed by Aaron Baggio. | .5 million | |
| 2013 | 60th Anniversary of Queen's Coronation | Purple | 1,000,000 |
| 2014 | Remembrance Day | Green | 1,850,000 |
| 2015 | 100 Years of ANZACs | Red | 1,460,000 |
| In Flanders Field | Orange | 2,150,000 | |
| 2016 | 50 Years of Decimal Currency | Pre-decimal Crown on obverse | 2,880,000 |
| 2016 Rio Olympics** | Blue | 2,000,000 | |
| Black | |||
| Red | |||
| Yellow | |||
| Green | |||
| 2016 Rio Paralympics** | Green/Yellow/Red/Blue | ||
| 2017 | Lest We Forget | Blue/Green/Yellow | 3,900,000 |
| Possum Magic** | Pink/Purple/Orange/Blue | N/A | |
| Red/Orange/Purple/Yellow/Blue | |||
| Blue/Navy/Pink/Orange/Green | |||
| Remembrance | Green/Purple rosemary. | 2,100,000 | |
| 2018 | 2018 Commonwealth Games** | Red | TBA |
| Green | |||
| Blue | |||
| Eternal Flame | Blue/Orange | 3,400,000* | |
| 2018 Invictus Games | None | TBA | |
| 2018 | 100th Anniversary of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 | Red | 1,700,000 |
| 2019 | Mr. Squiggle** | Turquoise/Yellow/Red | TBA |
| Yellow/Orange/Green | |||
| Pink/Orange/Green | |||
| Blue/Black/White | |||
| 30th Anniversary of National Police Remembrance Day | Blue/White | ||
| Wallabies – 2019 Rugby World Cup** | Green/Gold | ||
| 2020 | ICC Women's T20 World Cup** | Yellow/Blue/Purple | TBA |
| 2020 Tokyo Olympics** | Blue cherry blossoms | ||
| Black cherry blossoms | |||
| Red cherry blossoms | |||
| Yellow cherry blossoms | |||
| Green cherry blossoms | |||
| 2020 Tokyo Paralympics** | Green/Yellow | ||
| "*" denotes partial numbers – total production to be confirmed | |||
| "**" denotes release through Woolworths Supermarkets | |||
| References: | |||
See Also
