2024 Australian $2 Coin

Quick answers

Is the 2024 Australian $2 rare?

No. 5.2 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.

How many 2024 Australian $2 coins were made?

5,202,000 were struck for circulation.

What is the 2024 Australian $2 made of?

Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel). It weighs 6.6 g and measures 20.5 mm.

Is the 2024 Australian $2 still legal tender?

Yes. Every $2 coin, colored commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.

How to recognize it

Check the obverse first: a left facing, uncrowned portrait of King Charles III marks the 2024 coin, along with the King's name and the date. The reverse is Horst Hahne's design used since 1988, showing an Aboriginal elder modeled on Gwoya Jungarai, the stars of the Southern Cross and grass trees, with the large numeral 2. The physical coin hasn't changed either. It is still 20.5 mm across, 6.6 g in weight and struck in aluminum bronze with an interrupted milled edge. The legend names the King, which makes it simple to separate from any Elizabeth II coin even when the portrait is worn.

2024 Australian $2 by the numbers

By the numbers, the 2024 Australian $2 ranks 4th lowest of 36 circulation dates of the $2 coin. The next scarcer is the 1993 Australian $2 (4.9 million); the next more common is the 2000 Australian $2 (5.7 million).

For scale, the most common is the 1988 Australian $2 with 160.9 million, about 31 times as many. The scarcest is the 2011 Australian $2 with 1.8 million, 2.9 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 2024 output was 6.2 times fewer than 2022.

What to check on your 2024 Australian $2

• Confirm the date 2024 and the portrait on the other side.
• 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 5,202,000 the 2024 has one of the lower mintages among recent dates, close to the 2000 and 2012 figures. That said, it's new and circulated examples are worth face value. Uncirculated coins from mint rolls or sets may draw a small premium as first year coins of the reign. Pull one or two clean examples from change and keep them in a holder. Later mintage figures for the King's coins will show whether the 2024 ends up as a scarce opening date.

King Charles III portrait by Dan Thorne (2024)

The 2024 date brought the first $2 coins for King Charles III. His portrait for Australian coins was designed by Dan Thorne and shows the King without a crown. Following the long tradition of alternating direction between reigns, Charles faces left where Elizabeth II faced right, which makes the new coins easy to pick out at a glance. Australian coins have always carried the reigning monarch and for most people the new portrait is the only change they'll notice.

Nothing changed on the other side. Horst Hahne's Aboriginal elder, the Southern Cross and the grass trees carry straight over from the Queen's coins, as do the size, weight and aluminum bronze alloy. The 2024 circulation mintage was 5,202,000, a modest number compared with most earlier dates and close to the levels of 2000 and 2012. The reverse has now been in use for more than three decades with only the portrait on the other side changing.

If you find a King Charles $2 in change, you have a coin from the opening years of a new reign. Early dates of a new monarch tend to get saved by the public, which can thin them out of circulation for a while. For now these coins trade at face value in circulated condition, with uncirculated examples from rolls or mint sets drawing at most a small premium. Keep an eye on future mintage figures, because they will show how this first date compares.

Mintage chart

Specifications

Frequently asked questions