A NEW $2 coin will be released by the Reserve Bank of Fiji next week to replace the existing $2 coin.
The move comes after public comments regarding the difficulty of distinguishing between the $2 and $1 coins.
Released on November 3, the coins will have several distinguishing features. Besides being slightly larger and thicker than the existing $2 and $1 coins, the new coin will also have a Spanish flower — an inside cut — edge to also serve as an effective differentiating feature for the visually impaired.
While the designs on both sides of the new coin remain unchanged, they have been raised slightly and made more prominent to be easily felt.
The coins, supplied by the Royal Canadian Mint, will be made of multi-ply bronze-plated steel instead of the multi-ply brass plated steel of the existing coin.
The RBF says the new bronze metal composition is expected to delay discolouration of the new $2 coins, something which has been an issue given Fiji’s tropical climate and coin handling practices in the market.
RBF governor Barry Whiteside said the existing and new $2 coins were within the internationally accepted guidelines of coinage dimensions.
