2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 Coin
The 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 is a circulating $2 coin with 2.1 million made. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2017
- Circulation mintage
- 2,100,000
- 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 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 worth?
Collectors pay a small premium for the 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 (2.1 million made), 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 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 rare?
- It is scarcer than most $2 coins. Collectors pay a small premium for good examples.
- How many 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 coins were made?
- 2,100,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 made of?
- Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel). It weighs 6.6 g and measures 20.5 mm.
- Is the 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every $2 coin, colored commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.
Why the 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 was made
Rosemary has a special place in Australian commemoration. The herb grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula and has long been worn on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day as a sign of remembrance, alongside the red poppy. Sprigs are handed out at dawn services and pinned to lapels by people of all ages. In 2017 the Royal Australian Mint chose a sprig of rosemary for its Remembrance $2 coin, a change from the poppies of earlier years.
The circulation mintage was 2,100,000. That places it in the middle of the colored $2 coins with published totals: more common than the red poppy or the Coronation coin, less common than the Lest We Forget coin of the same year. With two remembrance coins dated 2017 and plenty of other colored designs around, this one sometimes gets mixed up with its neighbors, but the rosemary itself makes it easy to identify once you know to look for it. The design moved away from the poppy, giving Australians a symbol that is more specifically their own.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows a sprig of rosemary colored in green and purple, in place of the Aboriginal elder. That combination is unique among the remembrance $2 coins: the 2012 coin has a red poppy, the 2014 coin uses green alone and the 2017 Lest We Forget coin uses blue, green and yellow. The obverse carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen, with IRB below the neck and the date 2017. The coin is 20.5 mm across, 6.6 g and aluminum bronze. A slender sprig looks nothing like the rounded petals of a poppy, so the shape helps you tell the remembrance coins apart even when the color has gone.
2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 ranks 7th lowest of 13 commemorative $2 releases with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2016 Rio Paralympics $2 (2 million); the next more common is the 2015 In Flanders Fields $2 (2.15 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2016 Rio Olympics $2 with 10 million, about 4.8 times as many. The scarcest is the 2012 Remembrance Day Red Poppy $2 with 500,000, 4.2 times fewer than this one.
It was released in 2017 alongside 3 other circulating $2 coin designs: the Lest We Forget (3.9 million) and the 2017 Australian $2 (16.4 million). The 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2 was the scarcest of the year.
What to check on your 2017 Remembrance (Rosemary) $2
- Confirm the design: Remembrance (Rosemary) dated 2017, with the colored panel (Green/Purple rosemary.).
- 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.
With 2,100,000 struck, the rosemary coin is far scarcer than the regular 2017 $2 at 16.4 million, but common enough that circulated examples sit close to face value. The purple areas are small and wear away quickly, so a coin with them fully intact is a better find and may bring a small premium. Uncirculated coins with crisp color draw the most interest. Never clean it. Store it in a flip and keep it with the other remembrance coins if you are building a themed set.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 dollars |
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
| Year | 2017 |
| Circulation mintage | 2,100,000 |
| Composition | Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 6.6 g |
| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Interrupted milling |
| Colors | Green/Purple rosemary. |
Other 2017 $2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Australian $2 Coin | 16,400,000 | Face value |
| 2017 Lest We Forget $2 Coin | 3,900,000 | Face value |
| 2017 Possum Magic $2 Coin | – | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why is rosemary on a $2 coin?
Rosemary grows wild at Gallipoli and is worn in Australia on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day as a symbol of remembrance. The 2017 Remembrance $2 uses a colored sprig of rosemary to honor those who served.
How many Remembrance rosemary $2 coins were made?
The circulation mintage was 2,100,000, compared with 16.4 million regular 2017 $2 coins. It's scarcer than ordinary change but one of the more available colored $2 coins. Look for the green and purple sprig.
Mintage figures: Australian two-dollar coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Australian Mint figures. How we build these pages.