Brisbane is the only city where the newest $2 coin – the first circulating coin with purple stripes – will be able to be swapped for your change directly from the Royal Australian Mint.
The Mint went onsite at Queen Street Mall on Friday, swapping the new $2 coin for old change. Excitement surrounding this coin was high, with keen Brisbanites tweeting to bring the coin swap to Queensland.
In a hotly contested hashtag competition held on Twitter, there were only two tweets separating Brisbane and Adelaide when the competition closed on Monday 26 August.
“People across Australia have been really excited to get their hands on the new purple-striped $2 coin, so we thought it was only fair that they got to choose which Australian capital city would host the coin swap,” said Royal Australian Mint CEO Ross MacDiarmid.
“When Brisbane emerged as the victors, we knew that the coin swap had to be held in Queen Street Mall to help keep the royal connection, as the coin celebrates the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II,” said Mr MacDiarmid.
The coin swap is likely to bring a boost to Brisbane tourism, with collectors from across Australia keen to get their hands on this coin.
“After the coin swap location was released, we have been inundated with callers from across the country saying that they’re ready to book a flight to Brisbane to get their hands on this coin,” said Mr MacDiarmid.
“These include collectors from Adelaide and Katoomba, so be sure to get to the coin swap early so they don’t all get swapped straight away!”
While there is no standard limit to how many can be swapped, it will depend on how long the line is at the time. The public should keep an eye on Mint’s Facebook page and Twitter feed for any event updates.
This coin was officially launched in June 2013 by the Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce AC CVO, as part of the Colourful Change program.
For more information about the coin swap, 2013 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II $2 coloured circulating coin or images of this coin please visit www.ramint.gov.au