The Mint says about this coin:
The Royal Australian Mint and the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council proudly present this delightful coin, honouring the small yet mighty honey bee and Australia’s honey bee industry. 2022 marks the bicentenary of the establishment of the industry. The coin’s striking design and colour make it an attractive addition to collections.
Introduced in 1822, the European honey bee successfully adapted to Australia’s climate and flora; making them responsible for producing the majority of Australian honey. While there are more than 1,500 species of native honeybees, they tend to produce a lot less honey than introduced species.
Despite their small size and short lifespan, honey bees not only produce delicious honey, they are also regarded as a valuable agricultural commodity by providing free pollination services; resulting in superior quality harvest and increased yield. Honey bee pollination is estimated to contribute $4 to $6 billion to the economy. Across Australia, there are approximately 20,000 registered beekeepers who operate more than 640,000 hives, producing up to 30,000 tonnes of honey each year. This honey is consumed in nearly 40 countries across the globe, including Canada, China, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and, of course, Australia. |
| Obverse | |
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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The Queen also wears the Coronation Necklace; originally made for Queen Victoria in 1858, it was also worn at the coronations (as Queen's Consort) of Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth (the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 in tiny letters below left.
Around the effigy is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH II · AUSTRALIA 2022.
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| Reverse | |
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At centre, the reverse design shows a globe patterned like a honeycomb, part of it honey-coloured, with two bees on either side of it. Above and below, small branches of an Australian gum tree.
Around above left, the inscription HONEY BEE. Around below, the face value and denomination TWO DOLLARS.
The designer's initials AS (for Aleksandra Stokic) are near the rim on the right. |
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