Two Dollars 2019 (Fifth Portrait), Coin from Australia - detailed information

The obverse of the coin depicts the crowned old bust of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem crown worn for her Coronation (effigy known as the "Fifth Portrait" worldwide but "Sixth Portrait" in Australia, where the Queen's portrait by Vladimir Gottwald was fifth).

The Queen also wears the Coronation Necklace; originally made for Queen Victoria in 1858, it was also worn at the coronations (as Queen's Consort) of Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen mother) in 1937.

Unlike on British coinage, the effigy is "uncouped" (includes the Queen's shoulders) and extends almost to the rim of the coin; consequently, the legend does not run continuously around the rim.

The artist's initials JC (for Jody Clark) are incuse in tiny letters in the left field of the effigy (on the Queen's right shoulder, near the rim).

Around the effigy is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH II · AUSTRALIA 2019.

The reverse design includes a representation of the head and shoulders of a traditional Australian Aboriginal (half-length figure of Aboriginal male, bare-chested, facing three-quarters right), a representation of the Southern Cross and a representation of Australian flora. To the right, in two lines, the value and denomination 2 DOLLARS.

These are the first Australian $2 coins featuring the Queen's Fifth Portrait.

On 2 March 2015 the Royal Mint revealed a new effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, which went into production in the United Kingdom that very day. The new portrait was designed by Jody Clark, the first Royal Mint engraver to be chosen to create a definitive royal coinage portrait in over 100 years.

At that time, the Royal Australian Mint decided to continue with the Fourth Portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley. This was changed halfway through 2019; consequently, in 2019 some two dollar coins were issued with the Fourth Portrait and some with the Fifth Portrait.