Australia is honoring its firefighters with a colorful circulating commemorative $2 coin.

The Royal Australian Mint on Oct. 29 launched the coins, announcing that $125,000 Australian from the proceeds from the sale of collector versions will go to fire and emergency service organizations.

Speaking at the launch of the coins, Royal Australian Mint general manager Mark Cartwright said, “The Mint is immensely aware of the bravery and sacrifice that goes in to being a firefighter. Providing some financial benefit back to the firefighting community is a tangible way for us to assist these critical organisations to prepare for the summer ahead.”

He also noted the significance of these coins.

“These coins serve as an everyday reminder of the ongoing commitment of our firefighters and emergency service personnel to protect our lives and property,” said Cartwright. “We should not forget that it was less than 12 months ago that large parts of Australia was on fire. Our firefighters — both career and voluntary — courageously combated the extreme conditions to keep us safe. Australia’s 170,000 plus firefighters are revered for their bravery and dedication. From the cities to the outback, they protect us from danger and are always prepared to step up when needed.”

Coin design

The new coin design includes stylized representation of two firefighters standing back to back, with a colored fireball in the center of the coin. The identity of the two firefighters is hidden but the figure on the right is shown as masculine and the figure on the left as feminine as a symbol of the diversity within Australia’s firefighting ranks.

An Uncirculated example on a colorful card has an unlimited mintage and retails for $10 Australian.

An Uncirculated example of the coin, with the C Mint Mark for Canberra (home to the RAM) has a mintage limit of 40,000 pieces and retails for $15 Australian.

No mintage limit was announced for the circulating version, which is equivalent to $1.40 U.S.

These coins are sold through the RAM eShop, https://eshop.ramint.gov.au.

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