1993 Australian $2 Coin
The 1993 Australian $2 is a circulating $2 coin with 4.9 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1993
- Circulation mintage
- 4,900,000
- 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 1993 Australian $2 worth?
4.9 million were made, so the 1993 Australian $2 is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition
- A mint roll or set coin
- A genuine mint error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1993 Australian $2 rare?
- No. 4.9 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1993 Australian $2 coins were made?
- 4,900,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1993 Australian $2 made of?
- Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel). It weighs 6.6 g and measures 20.5 mm.
- Is the 1993 Australian $2 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every $2 coin, colored commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.
The 1993 $2 coin in context
The 1993 date is the key coin of the Raphael Maklouf years. Only 4.9 million were struck for circulation, the lowest figure for any $2 date between the launch in 1988 and the end of the Maklouf portrait in 1998. Put that next to the 15.5 million of 1992 and the 22.1 million of 1994 and you can see why people look out for it. Among all regular $2 dates, only 2011 and the 2019 coin with Jody Clark's portrait have lower circulation figures.
There was no special reason on the coin itself for the low output. The Royal Australian Mint produces circulation coins to meet orders from the banking system and in some years those orders are small. Two years earlier, in 1991, no $2 coins were made for circulation at all, so the early 1990s produced both a gap in the run and its scarcest date. A 1993 is not a great rarity by world standards, but it turns up far less often than its neighbors. Many 1993 coins have now spent three decades in circulation, so worn examples with flattened detail on the elder's face are typical while sharp ones are much harder to find.
How to recognize it
Nothing about the 1993 design differs from the dates around it, so the date numerals are what you're checking. The obverse has Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Elizabeth II with RDM initials and ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 1993 around the edge. The reverse shows Horst Hahne's Aboriginal elder, modeled on Gwoya Jungarai, with the Southern Cross and grass trees. Unlike 1988 and 1989, the 1993 coins do not have the HH initials. If the 3 is worn, compare it with the 8 of a 1998 under a light to be sure. Also check for RDM under the Queen's neck to confirm the Maklouf portrait.
1993 Australian $2 by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1993 Australian $2 ranks 3rd lowest of 36 circulation dates of the $2 coin. The next scarcer is the 2019 Australian $2 (Clark portrait) (2 million); the next more common is the 2024 Australian $2 (5.2 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1988 Australian $2 with 160.9 million, about 33 times as many. The scarcest is the 2011 Australian $2 with 1.8 million, 2.7 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1993 output was 3.2 times fewer than 1992 and 4.5 times fewer than 1994.
What to check on your 1993 Australian $2
- Confirm the date 1993 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.
This is a date worth saving even in worn condition. Circulated examples are still common enough to sit near face value, but well preserved ones with sharp detail in the hair and stars bring a small premium and true uncirculated coins attract a collector premium compared with most other Maklouf dates. Because the mintage is low, a 1993 in good shape is often the hardest coin to fill in a date set from the 1990s. Avoid cleaning it: bright, polished coins put collectors off.
Raphael Maklouf portrait: the coin replaces the note (1988 to 1998)
Australia's $2 coin went into circulation in June 1988, taking over from the green $2 note that had been part of decimal currency since 1966. Notes wear out quickly when they pass through thousands of hands while a coin can stay in use for decades, so the swap made sense for a denomination people spent every day. It followed the $1 coin of 1984 and left Australia with a quirk that still catches visitors out: the $2 coin is smaller than the $1.
Horst Hahne designed the reverse and it has never changed. It shows an Aboriginal elder modeled on Gwoya Jungarai, the Central Australian man whose photograph had already appeared on a 1950 postage stamp, set against the stars of the Southern Cross and Australian grass trees. The coin measures 20.5 mm across, weighs 6.6 g and is struck in aluminum bronze with an interrupted milled edge, so the ridges run in bands with smooth gaps between them. On the 1988 and 1989 dates you'll find Hahne's HH initials on the reverse.
The obverse of this first run carries Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the George IV State Diadem, with his RDM initials at the base of the neck. Output started with a flood of 160.9 million coins in 1988, enough to replace the notes, then dropped sharply. No circulation coins were struck in 1991 and the 1993 date stopped at 4.9 million, which makes it the scarce year of this portrait. The era closed with 8.7 million in 1998.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 dollars |
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
| Year | 1993 |
| Circulation mintage | 4,900,000 |
| Composition | Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 6.6 g |
| Diameter | 20.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Interrupted milling |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the 1993 $2 coin special?
Its circulation mintage of 4.9 million is the lowest of the Raphael Maklouf portrait years from 1988 to 1998. That makes it the date collectors look for first when sorting early $2 coins from change.
Should I keep a 1993 $2 coin from my change?
Yes, it's a sensible keeper. Worn ones stay close to face value, but nicer examples carry a small premium and uncirculated coins a collector premium, since only 4.9 million were made for circulation.
Mintage figures: Australian two-dollar coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Australian Mint figures. How we build these pages.