Hey Friend

On Wednesday (September 24), Australia Post is releasing the 'Big Things 2' set. These coins continue the theme of Big Aussie tourist attractions (eg the Big Mango, The Big Penguin, The Big Golden Guitar). The first 'Big Things' set (back in 2023) had the Big Banana, the Big Koala, and others. These promotions seem to get more complex every time, so I've put together everything I know (so far) about it...

The Coins
There are twelve coins in total, but only two coins are going into circulation. The two coins that are going into circulation each have a montage of five 'Big Things':


The other ten coins have single 'Big Things' on them - these ten coins are not intended for circulation and are all included in the tube:


Please note - this is different from the first 'Big Things' set, where all ten coins went into circulation.

There is also a special coloured version of the 'Big Strawberry' coin. This is a comparison between the regular and coloured versions of the 'Big Strawberry' coin:


(Photos are courtesy of the Australia Post website)

All twelve coins are One Dollar coins and they all have the Dan Thorne Obverse/Heads Side design with the denomination under the King's image.

The Promotion
The promotion is similar to previous Australia Post promotions, but there are some subtle changes. Here's how the promotion will work:
1. There is a tube you can buy for $34
- The tube has the TEN uncirculated coins (each with a single 'Big Thing')
- The two circulation coins are NOT included in the tube.
- One-in-ten of the tubes has a special coloured version of the 'Big Strawberry' coin.
- The tube comes with a folder to store the coins.
- The folder has places for all twelve coins (even though the two circulation coins are not included in the tube).

2. You can also buy the TEN standard coins individually:
- In a cardboard folder for $4 each, or
- In a PNC for $20 each.

3. There is a proof coin set available for $70.
- This set has proof coin versions of the two circulation coins
- The proof coins are not coloured, but they are the only non-circulated version of the two coins going into circulation (so far)
- (Unfortunately the coloured strawberry coin is NOT available to buy individually at this stage)

4. There is a pack of all ten PNCs for $200
- This includes all ten of the PNCs
- Here's the kicker - one in ten of these $200 packs has a coloured version of the strawberry coin
- The other nine have the standard non-coloured strawberry.

5. You can find the two circulated coins in change (ie at face value) when you buy something from Australia Post over the next four weeks.

The items will be available to buy from Australia Post post offices and also through their website. Check with your favourite dealers too and the Royal Australian Mint will likely have these available too.

A couple of warnings:
1. If you're buying a 'sealed tube' from an individual (i.e. not Australia Post or a dealer), be mindful that people are buying boxes of ten tubes to guarantee getting the coloured strawberry coin. One in ten tubes has the coloured coin, so this is a good way to guarantee getting the coloured coin. They open tubes until they find the coloured coin and then sell the rest as 'sealed sets'. It's perfectly legal, but if you're buying a tube hoping to find the coloured coin, be mindful of this.

2. I'm not sure if the RAM is doing a ballot for this release, but you should be able to get the coins faster in person from most post offices and also the Aus Post website. Check with your favourite dealers too!

3. As with all of these Aus Post releases, there will be some hype for the coloured coin, but be careful not to get caught out paying too much for them. They tend to drop in price a bit after the hype dies down.

4. If you buy the single coins for $4 in the cardboard wallet, make sure to pull the coin out before you buy it and make sure you're happy with the coin's quality.

Here is a link to the Aus Post's website where you can see all the products:
https://auspost.com.au/shop/collectables/view-all


Happy hunting and please let me know if you have any questions or learn anything interesting about this promotion.

Cheers

Damian

PS for a reminder of the coins from the 2023 'Big Things' set (with the Big Banana, Big Koala, etc), check out this video:

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