Collecting Australian 1c and 2c Coins

Greetings, esteemed coin enthusiast! Australia has a long history of producing 1c and 2c coins.

Discover the ultimate guide to acquiring Australian 1c & 2c coins and their present-day market worth in this informative article.

Discover the answers to frequently asked questions, including “Do they retain their legal tender status?” and beyond!

Australian 1c and 2c Coins

History of Australian 1c Coin

Did you know the first issue of the Australian 1c Coin was in 1966 and had three Mints producing it?

The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra made 146.5 million, the Melbourne Mint made 239 million, and the Perth Mint made 26.6 million.

All one-cent coins, except those from 1966 and 1981, were made at the Canberra mint. According to my research, in 1981, they struck 40.3 million coins at the British Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales, and 183.6 million coins in Canberra.

The only year when it was not minted during its years in general circulation was 1986. The last time it was minted was in 1990.

History of Australian 2c Coin

The Australian 2c coin was introduced into circulation on February 14th, 1966. Like the 1c coin, this coin was made at three different Mints.

The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra made 145.2 million, the Melbourne Mint made 66.6 million, and the Perth Mint made 217.7 million.

In 1981, Australian coins were minted outside the country for the first time. Around 70.8 million coins were struck at the British Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales, while 97.4 million and 81.8 million coins were produced in Canberra and Perth, respectively.

Did you know that no two-cent coins were produced in 1986 or 1987? Also, the last year they were minted was in 1989.

Composition

1c and 2c coins are made of copper, tin, and zinc. Copper-plated zinc is a metal alloy, which is a mixture of metals.

Metal alloys are often used for coins as they have several advantages over pure metals.

They’re lighter, more durable, and more cost-effective.

However, because metal alloys contain fewer precious metals than their pure counterparts (like gold), they can be worth much less when it comes time to sell them (or melt them down).

When did 1c & 2c Coins Stop in Australia?

The last 1c and 2c coins were minted in 1964, with the last withdrawn from circulation in 1992.

However, these coins remained legal tender until 1966. This meant you could still spend them if you wanted to buy something during that period, but many businesses were unwilling to accept them because they had become so rare.

This was because new currency notes were being introduced that were made of plastic rather than paper or cardboard (and thus couldn’t be easily counterfeited), making them more valuable than old-fashioned metal coins like the ones we’re discussing today!

The truth is that there will probably never be another era like the 1960s when people only carried around small change instead of credit cards or debit cards.

But even though times have changed drastically since then,​ there are plenty of collectors out there who would love to own some old Australian currency if only they knew where they could find some.

Are They Still Legal Tender Today?

While 1c and 2c coins are not widely used in everyday transactions, they remain legal tender.

Therefore, the Australian government must still remove them from circulation or stop minting them.

However, there is a growing movement to reintroduce the 1c coin into our daily lives and eliminate plastic bank cards.

In Australia today, you can use an older style 1c or 2c coin to pay for parking at a meter by inserting it into a machine similar to those found in supermarkets (these machines dispense cardboard tickets that must be displayed on windshields).

You can also use these coins to make phone calls if you don’t have any other change handy—a few people still do this!

They’re also helpful when paying for bus fares as many bus drivers will accept large and small denominations of Australian currency without comment.

However, they’ll likely request new notes rather than giving change back if you only have smaller denominations!

Are They Worthy of Collecting?

If you’re starting a coin collection, Australian 1c and 2c coins are a great way to get started.

They’re easy to store and carry around, so they can be carried in your pocket or purse without weighing you down.

And they have attractive designs, stories behind them, and other features that make them fun collectibles.

You can collect these coins in a coin album for easy storage and display.

This will allow you to keep track of their values and look at their beautiful designs whenever possible!

In addition, you may browse your album with friends or family because it’s so much fun!

Related Articles:

• 10 of the Most Valuable and Rare Australian Coins
• Which Australian 50c Coins Should I Collect?