Australia: New $2 collector and circulation coins salute Indigenous military service

The Royal Australian Mint has released (1st April) new commemorative coins with a colour reverse design in salute of Indigenous Australians longstanding tradition of serving in the military. 

In 1901, Indigenous Bushmen with knowledge of hunting and tracking travelled to South Africa as part of the Australian Armed forces to act as scouts in the search for Boer fighters. From the Boer War and the Western Front, Tobruk, and Kokoda to Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, Indigenous Australians have proudly served with distinction in every conflict and commitment involving Australian defence contingents. Currently, Australian Armed Forces across the various branches comprise just over 3.2 per cent of Indigenous military personnel as of 2020. 

The $2 coins include a vivid colour design, which is based on a painting created this year by Kalkadoon artist Chern’ee Sutton. Entitled Indigenous Military Service, the reverse side features a black handprint in the centre, surrounded by three rows of dots in the colours of the Defence Forces Tri-Service Flag. Below the primary motif, the design features symbols telling the story of Indigenous Australians in the military with the commemorative text placed above, which reads INDIGENOUS MILITARY SERVICE.

The obverse side includes the Commonwealth effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II created by Jody Clark and introduced onto Australian coinage in 2019. The denomination of 2 DOLLARS is seen just under the Queen’s likeness. 

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
Two dollars	Aluminum-bronze	6.6 g	20. mm	Brilliant Unc. with applied colour	50,000

The collector’s edition is presented in a blister-pak type card with informative text and illustrations pertaining to Australia’s Indigenous military contributions. The Uncirculated quality coins will be released into circulation during the first weeks in the month of April. Rolls of 25 coins with the “C” mintmark are also available — one roll per order from the Royal Australian Mint. For additional information about this coin and other coins, please visit their website.

Orders placed after 10:00 a.m. on the 1st April 2021, will be dispatched from early May 2021.

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