Rare $2 coin worth $300 due to key difference: ‘Still out there'

Yahoo

25-04-2025

A $2 coin can fetch you up to $300 thanks to one key detail. While they are very rare, one coin expert said there's still a chance you could find one in your change.
In 2012, the Royal Australian Mint released two $2 coins to commemorate Remembrance Day. The $2 Gold Poppy coin was the uncoloured version with the iconic flower, while the $2 Red Poppy coin featured a vibrant coloured flower at the centre.
Nova Coins owner Janelle Hulme told Yahoo Finance the $2 Red Poppy coins were the first coloured coins made by the Mint and were still extremely popular among collectors.
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'There is interest in red poppies all the time,' she said.
'There's always interest. I can't keep them. If I put them up for sale, they sell instantly, they're very popular.'
Hulme said the $2 Red Poppy coins usually sold for $300, but values could range from $250 to $350 depending on supply and demand.
The Gold Poppy coins, in comparison, can go for between $40 and $60, but that's for ones that haven't been in circulation.
Hulme noted the paint on the Red Poppy coins can come off, so it could be 'quite hard' to find a nice coin with all the paint intact.
But even Red Poppy coins with the paint chipped off can be worth a decent amount.
'If you find a 2012 Red Poppy and the paint has completely come off it and there's no poppy there at all, they can go for $80 to $100,' Hulme told Yahoo Finance.
Only 500,000 of the Red Poppy coins were minted, with the coins released to the public through the RSL Red Poppy Appeal.
The Mint also created C Mintmark versions of the coins, which is where the Mint put a letter C on the coin for Canberra. Only 40,902 of the mintmark coins in the official folders were released.
'C mint $2 coins are worth more, they are the next level up from the standard strikes,' Hulme said.
"They were going for about $800 to $1,000. I think they've dropped down to about the $600 mark."
There were 5.8 million of the Gold Poppy coins minted.
Hulme said she knew of lots of people who had found the $2 Red Poppy coins, with one customer finding one in his change from a bottleshop.
But she said it was becoming harder to find them.
'I've been looking for a red poppy for ages,' she said.
'I know a lot of people that have found red poppies, but they are going through a lot of coins to find them.
'It's becoming rarer and rarer that people will find it but they're still out there.'
The Mint also released a 10-year anniversary version of the $2 Red Poppy coin for collectors, which are currently worth around $200.Sign in to access your portfolio