2018 Eternal Flame $2 Coin
The 2018 Eternal Flame $2 is a circulating $2 coin with 3.4 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2018
- Circulation mintage
- 3,400,000
- Value band
- Face value
- 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 2018 Eternal Flame $2 worth?
Circulated colored $2 coins like the 2018 Eternal Flame $2 usually change hands close to face value. Complete sets still in their collector cards and coins with unworn color bring a little more.
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 2018 Eternal Flame $2 rare?
- No. 3.4 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2018 Eternal Flame $2 coins were made?
- 3,400,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2018 Eternal Flame $2 made of?
- Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel). It weighs 6.6 g and measures 20.5 mm.
- Is the 2018 Eternal Flame $2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every $2 coin, colored commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.
Why the 2018 Eternal Flame $2 was made
Eternal flames burn at war memorials across Australia, kept alight as a constant sign that those who died in service are not forgotten. The flame beside the Pool of Reflection at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra is one of the best known. In 2018 the Royal Australian Mint used the image of the flame for a colored $2 coin, one of two remembrance coins it issued that year as the centenary of the First World War drew to a close.
The circulation mintage was 3,400,000, one of the highest for a colored $2 with a published total, second only to the 3,900,000 Lest We Forget coin of 2017. That larger output means the Eternal Flame is one of the colored coins people find most often in change. It arrived the same year as the red Armistice Centenary $2 and the two together make a natural pair for anyone collecting the remembrance series. Because so many were struck, worn coins with patchy color are the norm in change, which makes a clean one the real prize.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows a flame colored in orange set against blue, which replaces Horst Hahne's Aboriginal elder for this issue. The blue and orange combination is the clearest identifier, since no other $2 uses exactly that pairing. The obverse has Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Elizabeth II, with IRB below the neck and the date 2018. Physical details are standard for the denomination: 20.5 mm in diameter, 6.6 g in weight, aluminum bronze, with ridged sections and smooth gaps around the edge. Worn coins often lose the orange from the tips of the flame first, so look there before anything else when judging condition.
2018 Eternal Flame $2 by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2018 Eternal Flame $2 ranks 10th lowest of 13 commemorative $2 releases with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2016 50 Years of Decimal Currency $2 (2.88 million); the next more common is the 2017 Lest We Forget $2 (3.9 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2016 Rio Olympics $2 with 10 million, about 2.9 times as many. The scarcest is the 2012 Remembrance Day Red Poppy $2 with 500,000, 6.8 times fewer than this one.
It was released in 2018 alongside 4 other circulating $2 coin designs: the Armistice Centenary (1.7 million) and the 2018 Australian $2 (14.6 million). 1 of them had a smaller run.
What to check on your 2018 Eternal Flame $2
- Confirm the design: Eternal Flame dated 2018, with the colored panel (Blue/Orange).
- 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.
At 3,400,000, the Eternal Flame is among the more available colored $2 coins, so circulated examples sit at face value or just above. The best pieces have unbroken blue and orange with no scuffs across the flame and uncirculated coins in that state can draw a small premium. Collectors who keep remembrance coins usually want this one alongside the 2018 Armistice coin. Resist the urge to clean a grubby find. Any cleaning risks lifting the color, which is the whole point of the coin.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 dollars |
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
| Year | 2018 |
| Circulation mintage | 3,400,000 |
| Composition | Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 6.6 g |
| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Interrupted milling |
| Colors | Blue/Orange |
Other 2018 $2 coins
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Australian $2 Coin | 14,600,000 | Face value |
| 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games $2 Coin | – | Face value |
| 2018 Invictus Games $2 Coin | – | Face value |
| 2018 Armistice Centenary $2 Coin | 1,700,000 | Small premium |
Frequently asked questions
How many Eternal Flame $2 coins were made?
The circulation mintage was 3,400,000. Among colored $2 coins with published totals, only the 2017 Lest We Forget coin had more. That's a high figure for a colored coin, which makes the Eternal Flame a fairly common find in change.
What colors are on the Eternal Flame $2?
The reverse uses blue and orange, with the flame in orange. The obverse carries Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the date 2018. No other $2 uses that exact pairing of colors.
Mintage figures: Australian two-dollar coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Australian Mint figures. How we build these pages.