The Australian two-dollar coin is the highest-denomination coin of the Australian dollar. It was first issued on 20 June 1988, having been in planning since the mid-1970s. It replaced the

Australian two-dollar note The Australian two-dollar note was introduced in 1966 due to decimalisation, to replace the £1 note which had similar green colouration. The note was issued from its introduction in 1966 until its replacement by the two-dollar coin in 1988. ...

due to having a longer circulatory life. The only "mint set only" year was 1991. $2 coins are legal tender for amounts not exceeding 10 times the face value of the coin for any payment of a debt.

Design

In accordance with all other Australian coins, the obverse features the portrait of the reigning monarch, who during the lifetime of the coin has only been

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. From 1988 to 1998 the portrait of her was by Raphael Maklouf before being replaced in the following year by one sculpted by

Ian Rank-Broadley Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS (born 1952) is a British sculptor who has produced many acclaimed works, among which are several designs for British coinage and the memorial statue of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London unveiled on her 60th ...

. Since 2019, the effigy of Elizabeth II by artist

Jody Clark Jody Clark (born 1 March 1981) is a British engraver formerly employed by the Royal Mint. He designed the fifth and final portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to feature on coins of the pound sterling, and that portrait was the fifth and final to fea ...

has been released into circulation. Designed by Horst Hahne, the reverse depicts an Aboriginal Elder, a Walpiri-Anmatyerre man of the Northern Territory of Australia, inspired by an

Ainslie Roberts Ainslie Roberts (12 March 1911 – 28 August 1993) was an Australian painter, photographer, and commercial artist. He is best known for his interpretations of Aboriginal legends in his Dreamtime books, written in collaboration with ethnologist ...

drawing of

Gwoya Tjungurrayi Gwoya Tjungurrayi (c. 1895 – 28 March 1965), also spelt Gwoya Jungarai, Gwoya Djungarai and Gwoja Tjungarrayi, was a Walpiri-Anmatyerre man of the Northern Territory of Australia. Also known by his nickname One Pound Jimmy, he became the fi ...

, also known as One Pound Jimmy. Tjungarrayi was one of the few survivors of one of the last recognised massacres of Aboriginal people by the British- the 1928 Coniston massacre in central Australia. However, the design is ‘not intended’ to depict any person in particular. The design also incorporates the

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

and native grasstrees. The initials of its designer, Horst Hahne, were removed from the design from 1990 onwards. 1988 and 1989 are the only year dated two dollars with the initials. In spite of this, there are many false claims on the internet that coins with initials are worth up to $10,000. All two-dollar coins have been struck at the

Royal Australian Mint The Royal Australian Mint is the sole producer of all of Australia's circulating coins and is a Commonwealth Government entity operating within the portfolio of the Treasury. The Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberr ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. 160.9 million coins were minted in the first year of issue. It has been issued in all years since except 1991, with an average mintage of 22 million coins per annum from 1989 to 2008. In 2012, the Australian mint released the first ever different designed two-dollar coin. It features a poppy flower, with the words ''Lest we Forget'' and ''Remembrance Day'' in the background of the coin. There had been no commemorative designs for this issue, until the 2012 Remembrance coin was minted. Along with the 2012 Remembrance coin was a coin with the same text and image but the centre poppy was red with a black centre. It was therefore the first coloured circulating coin in Australia. On 21 June 2013, a third commemorative two-dollar coin was launched by the Royal Australian Mint. This coin, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the coronation of

, featured a purple circle bordering

St Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th cen ...

. As a part of the 100 years of

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Ne ...

a coin programme launched by the Royal Australian Mint, two separate coloured coins were released. The first was released in 2014, it featured two green circles in the middle of the coin and a dove in the centre. The word ''Remembrance'' was stretched across the top of the coin. In 2015, the fourth circulating coloured coin in Australia was released. It includes red stripes much like the 2013 Queen Coronation coin. It also features five crosses amongst poppies and the words ''Lest we Forget'' in the centre. A fifth coin was also released in 2015. It is sunset orange and it features a sun in the centre with birds and the Flanders Field poem in the background. In 2016 a commemorative coin was issued for the Rio Olympic Games. Five Coins were issued for circulation via

Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...

and were made available in packs of the 5 coins on 27 July 2016. A

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

coin was issued on 22 August 2016. When the coin was introduced there were complaints that the coin was too small for its value and was easily lost, or counterfeited by placing two 5-cent pieces together and colouring them gold. However, with an uninterrupted milling on the 5-cent, and the 2 dollars having 5 grooves in 4 lots separated by 7 mm length of the side, identification is easy. It has the same size and milling as the 10 Swedish kronor. Its smaller size in comparison to the $1 coin can lead to confusion for visitors from outside Australia.

Minting figures

The coin has only been struck at the

, the nation's capital. The only year without production was 1991 (due to the large number issued for the coin's introduction in 1988).

Commemorative coins

References

External links

List of Australian $2 circulating coins

{{Australian currency Currencies introduced in 1988 Decimal coins of Australia Two-base-unit coins

Design

Minting figures

Commemorative coins

See also

References

External links