posted
I just heard this and I have no idea on which part of the forum to post, so I'll place it here.
While trying to buy a ticket one of the coins (Australian $2) I was using kept being rejected for some reason. A cleaner saw me and came over and told me that the problem was caused by the 'fact' that there are 17 different sizes of $2 coins because they are "...made in Thailand."
I have never heard this before and to be quite honest it may have been due to the fact that the machine was requesting 'exact fare only'.
Have any other of the Australian forum members heard this or variants, or do you have any clue how it got started
Posts: 27 | From: Perth, Western Australia | Registered: Jan 2006
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the Royal Australian Mint, based in Canberra appears to be the sole producer of Australian coinage. Whether they vary the size of the $2 coins I cannot say, although they are very specific about the percentages of the various metals used. Sounds bloody inconvenient if they do.
I cannot see any information on their site which would indicate that they outsource production to Thailand, but given the following quote:
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Since opening in 1965 the Mint has produced over eleven billion circulating coins and has the capacity to produce over two million coins per day, or over six hundred million coins per year.
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it would seem that they have capacity to spare. Given the logistical and security problems involved with moving money it would seem insane to produce AUD coins in Thailand and ship them over.
-------------------- "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what is commonly known as money. It comes in all sizes, colours, and denominations - like people." Posts: 997 | From: Maidstone, UK | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:24. Does the RAM provide free samples of coins?
No.
If only it was that easy.
Graham, are you sure it was an Aussie $2? I've been given Kiwi $2 by mistake more than once, and it's not until I try to use them as $1 AUD in a machine that I realise what's happened. Kiwi $1 are about 2.5mm larger in diameter than our $2 and their $2 is 1mm larger than our $1.
They're the right colour and they all have the same profile of the Queen on the back. It's easy to assume the different design is just another commemorative change and to get them confused.
posted
He said he was trying to use a $2 coin, not a $1 coin. If that were the case, then I could see where it could be confused with NZ money.
Speaking of which, when I lived in Sydney and rode the trains, I'd get a NZ coin in change at least once a week. Usually the 50c piece, which is similiar size/shape as our 20c piece. Never noticed til it was too late, and then I had to figure out where I could pass it off. Posts: 26 | From: Darwin, NT, Australia | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:24. Does the RAM provide free samples of coins?
No.
If only it was that easy.
Graham, are you sure it was an Aussie $2?
Quite sure, I still have it, it's a 1989 issue, there seems to be a certain amount of wear on it but that's all.
I'm still trying to get my head around this '17 versions from Thailand' story, I knew that the Mint makes coins/notes for other countries (Kiribati uses the Aussie Dollar with some unique coins as well), but until today I'd never had anyone suggest that Australian coins were made outside this country.
From the way it was given to me by the cleaner it sounded like something he had told to others, sadly I was just about to catch a train and didn't have time to ask where he'd heard it.
Posts: 27 | From: Perth, Western Australia | Registered: Jan 2006
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