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The two dollar coin denomination (written as $2) was introduced on 20 June 1988, when it replaced the banknote of the same value. The reverse design by Horst Hahne features a representation of the head and shoulders of a traditional Australian Aboriginal elder (hence the popular name for the coin type, the Aboriginal Elder), a representation of the Southern Cross and a representation of Australian flora. It was inspired by a drawing by Mr Ainslie Roberts depicting aboriginal man Gwoya Jungarai, hence the coin being listed as "Gwoya Jungarai" type in some recent catalogues.
Coins issued in 2020 have now been in circulation for ... well, not at all really. |
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Obverse
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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"), and a necklace. Around the effigy is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2020. Unlike on British coinage, the effigy includes the Queen's shoulders and extends almost to the rim of the coin; consequently, the legend does not run continuously around it.
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).
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Reverse
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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. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
2 DOLLARS |
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| Edge | Milled interrupted (20 notches in 4 sections) | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Coins dated 2020 were minted and released in October 2019 in Royal Australian Mint sets. Note that these mint sets refer to Jody Clark's portrait of the Queen as her "6th Effigy", which takes into account her effigy by Vladimir Gottwald issued (in Australia only) in 2000. |
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