Australian two - dollar coin - Wikipedia Australian two - dollar coin Two Dollars 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 Male Aboriginal Elder Designer Horst Hahne Design date The Australian 2 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 due to having a longer circulatory life. Contents 1 Design 2 Minting figures 2.1 Commemorative coins 3 See also 4 References 5 External links 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. 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. Designed by Horst Hahne, the reverse depicts an Aboriginal Elder, inspired by an Ainslie Roberts drawing of Gwoya Jungarai, known as One Pound Jimmy. However, the design is not intended to depict any person in particular. The design also incorporates the Southern Cross and native grasstrees. The initials of its designer, Horst Hahne, were removed from the design from 1990 onwards. All two - dollar coins have been struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. 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. The 2012 Remembrance reverse $2 coin. In 2012, the Australian mint released the first ever different designed 2 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 2 dollar coin was launched by the Royal Australian Mint. This coin, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, featured a purple circle bordering St Edward 's Crown. As a part of the 100 years of Anzac Day 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 and were made available in packs of the 5 coins on the 27 July 2016. A Paralympic Games coin was issued on the 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 7mm 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. Elizabeth the second was featured on one of the sides and on the other was an unidentified aboriginal man. Minting figures The coin has only been struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, the nation 's capital. The only year without production was 1991 ( due to the large amount issued for the coin 's introduction in 1988 ). Year Mintage 1988 * 160,900,000 1989 * 31,600,000 10,300,000 1991 - 15,500,000 4,900,000 22,100,000 1995 15,500,000 13,900,000 19,000,000 1998 8,700,000 1999 27,300,000 2000 5,700,000 35,600,000 2002 29,700,000 2003 13,700,000 20,000,000 2005 45,500,000 2006 40,500,000 2007 26,000,000 2008 47,000,000 2009 74,500,000 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 `` * '' denotes that coins were minted with the designer 's initials References : Commemorative coins Year Subject Colours / Features Mintage 2012 Poppy N / A 5,800,000 Red 500,000 2013 60th Anniversary of Queen 's Coronation Purple 1,000,000 2014 Remembrance Day Green 1,900,000 2015 100 Years of ANZACs Red 1,500,000 In Flanders Field Orange 2,200,000 2016 50 Years of Decimal Currency Pre-decimal Crown on obverse 2,700,000 * 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 N / A Possum Magic * * Pink / Purple / Orange / Blue Red / Orange / Purple / Yellow / Blue Blue / Navy / Pink / Orange / Green `` * '' denotes partial numbers for 2016 - total production to be confirmed `` * * '' denotes release through Woolworths Supermarkets References : See also Coins of the Australian dollar References ^ Jump up to : http://www.ramint.gov.au/designs/ram-designs/2dollars.cfm Jump up ^ http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/display.php?image=img11/10-2d03&desc=Australia km406 2 Dollars ( 2001 -- ) &query = Australia Jump up ^ Pitt 2000 p. 88 ^ Jump up to : Royal Australian Mint - Designs & Products - Two Dollars Jump up ^ Royal Australian Mint - Frequently Asked Questions - About Australian Coins Jump up ^ `` Governor - General launches Australia 's first purple striped coin ''. Jump up ^ https://www.ramint.gov.au/publications/woolworths-shoppers-win-gold-exclusive-olympic-coin-launch ^ Jump up to : `` Two Dollars ''. Royal Australian Mint. Australian Government. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Woolworths shoppers win gold with exclusive Olympic coin launch '' ( Media release ). Royal Australian Mint. Australian Government. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2017. Ian W. Pitt, ed. ( 2000 ). Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values ( 19th ed. ). Chippendale, NSW : Renniks Publications. ISBN 978 - 0 - 9585574 - 4 - 3. External links Australian Decimal Currency Preceded by Two Dollar Note ( Australian ) Two Dollars ( Australian ) 1988 -- present Succeeded by Present Australian currency Decimal coins 1c 2c 5c 10c 20c 50c ( round ) $1 $2 Coins of the $ Commemorative coins Decimal notes $1 $2 $5 $10 $20 $50 $100 Banknotes of the $ Pre-decimal coins ​ ⁄ d 1d 3d 6d 1s 2s 5s Pre - £ coins Coins of the £ Pre-decimal notes 5s 10s £ 1 £ 5 £ 10 £ 20 £ 50 £ 100 £ 1000 Mints Sydney Mint ( 1855 -- 1926 ) Melbourne Mint ( 1872 -- 1967 ) Perth Mint ( 1899 -- ) Royal Australian Mint ( 1965 -- ) Topics Australian dollar Australian pound ( obsolete ) Banknotes of the Australian pound ( obsolete ) Note Printing Australia Pound sterling ( obsolete ) Reserve Bank of Australia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australian_two-dollar_coin&oldid=817369574 '' Categories : Currency introduced in 1988 Decimal coins of Australia Two - base - unit coins Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from December 2013 Use Australian English from December 2013 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Coin article with no obverse image All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bahasa Indonesia 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 December 2017, at 23 : 11. 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Question: when did the $2 coin come out in australia
Answer: 20 June 1988