2013 Coronation $2 Coin
The 2013 Coronation $2 is a circulating $2 coin with 1 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2013
- Circulation mintage
- 1,000,000
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2013 Coronation $2 worth?
At 1 million, the 2013 Coronation $2 has a smaller run than most $2 coins, so collectors pay a small premium for it, especially in uncirculated condition. On colored coins the paint has to be intact: a worn or chipped color panel cuts the premium sharply. Well circulated examples sit close to face value.
What would make yours worth more:
- Intact, unworn color
- Uncirculated condition
- Original card or collector folder
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2013 Coronation $2 rare?
- It is scarcer than most $2 coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2013 Coronation $2 coins were made?
- 1,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2013 Coronation $2 made of?
- Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel). It weighs 6.6 g and measures 20.5 mm.
- Is the 2013 Coronation $2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every $2 coin, colored commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.
Why the 2013 Coronation $2 was made
Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in February 1952 but wasn't crowned until 2 June 1953, in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey that was one of the first great events watched by a television audience. Her portrait appeared on Australian coins for her whole reign, but the coronation anniversary gave the mint a chance to honor her on the reverse of a circulating coin as well. Sixty years later, in 2013, the Royal Australian Mint marked the anniversary with a colored $2 coin, only the second colored design in the series after the 2012 red poppy.
This time the color was purple, long associated with royalty and ceremony. The circulation mintage was 1,000,000, which put it between the half million red poppy coins and the much larger totals of most regular dates. Because the coronation anniversary had less public pull than Remembrance Day, the coin was noticed by fewer people at the time and many went straight into tills and back out as ordinary change. That's good news for anyone still checking their $2 coins, because examples do still turn up.
How to recognize it
The reverse drops the Aboriginal elder for a purple colored design celebrating the coronation anniversary. The color is the giveaway: no other $2 from 2013 has purple on it and the regular 2013 coin shows the familiar elder with the Southern Cross. The obverse uses Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait with IRB beneath the neck and 2013 in the legend, the same portrait the Queen's coins carried for two decades. Size and metal are unchanged at 20.5 mm, 6.6 g and aluminum bronze. If you find one with the purple worn thin, it's still the Coronation coin. Purple can look almost black on a dirty coin, so don't wipe it: simply look at it under a bright light.
2013 Coronation $2 by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2013 Coronation $2 ranks 2nd lowest of 13 commemorative $2 releases with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2012 Remembrance Day Red Poppy $2 (500,000); the next more common is the 2015 100 Years of ANZAC $2 (1.46 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2016 Rio Olympics $2 with 10 million, about 10 times as many. The scarcest is the 2012 Remembrance Day Red Poppy $2 with 500,000, 2 times fewer than this one.
2013 brought 1 other circulating $2 coin design: the 2013 Australian $2 (35.1 million). The 2013 Coronation $2 was the scarcest of the year.
What to check on your 2013 Coronation $2
- Confirm the design: Coronation dated 2013, with the colored panel (Purple).
- Never clean a colored coin. Rubbing or solvents strip the color, which is most of what collectors are paying for.
- Check the edge: Australian $2 coins have interrupted milling, with sections of reeding separated by smooth gaps.
- Weigh it if you are unsure: a genuine $2 coin weighs 6.6 g and is 20.5 mm across.
One million is a low figure for a circulating $2, roughly a thirtieth of the regular 2013 output of 35.1 million. Collectors pay a premium over face value for clean examples with strong purple and the interest drops off as the color fades. Circulated coins with scuffed color are common finds and usually bring only a small premium. Like every colored $2, this one should never be cleaned or rubbed, as the color sits on the surface and comes away easily. A plastic flip is fine for storage.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 dollars |
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
| Year | 2013 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,000,000 |
| Composition | Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 6.6 g |
| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Interrupted milling |
| Colors | Purple |
Other 2013 $2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Australian $2 Coin | 35,100,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
What does the purple $2 coin commemorate?
The purple 2013 $2 marks the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, which took place at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. It was the second colored $2 released for circulation, after the 2012 red poppy.
How many 2013 Coronation $2 coins were made?
The circulation mintage was 1,000,000. That's twice the red poppy figure but far below the 35.1 million regular 2013 coins, so the Coronation coin is a good find in change.
Mintage figures: Australian two-dollar coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Australian Mint figures. How we build these pages.