Massive demand at Mint for new coloured poppy coins

Hundreds of people lined along the Royal Australian Mint building, out to the carpark and down the street to get their hands on new coloured collectable poppy coins released on Thursday morning.

The first person to line up, Bombala man Manny Cachia, started to queue at 10.45am on Wednesday. He was soon joined by workmate Casey Skelton who pulled into the Mint car park at noon on Wednesday.

There was about 500 people in the queue by 7am on Thursday, with still 90 minutes until the Mint shop opened.

The line was longer than last month's queue for the Bluey Christmas coins - it's not often something out-guns Australia's favourite little Blue Heeler.

The $2 coins released on Thursday marked the 80^th anniversary of the end of World War Two, ahead of Remembrance Day on Tuesday.

The 2025 $2 "C" Mintmark 80 Years On: Remembering the Second World War coloured fine silver proof cost $90, and there was a limit of one per person.

The coloured uncirculated coin in a card costs $22.50, with a limit of three per person.

The commemorative design will be released as a circulating coin, and people can expect to find it in their change from this week.

The ordinary $2 coin won't have the "C" mintmark, which shows it was minted in Canberra.

Manny and Casey, the first in line, also queued for previous red poppy coin releases in 2012 and 2022.

So they knew what to bring to make the almost 24-hour wait more bearable.

They have brought an air fryer, oven, camping toilet, electric blanket, beanbags and all their devices to help get them through Wednesday night so they can be the first at the Mint to buy a new-release coloured poppy coin.

Casey has the oven; Manny has the air fryer, powered by a 12-volt battery unit. It was sausages and potatoes all 'round for dinner on Wednesday. The camping toilet included a tent for privacy and was set well away from the queue. Manny also had his car set up with an electric blanket.

Casey, 45, and Manny, 63, are both coin collectors and don't intend to sell the coins. They are looking at them being a long-term investment.

"I reckon it's one of the best-looking poppy designs they've brought out to the public," Manny said.

Third in the queue at the Mint on Wednesday evening was Ken Beltrami from Queanbeyan, who got there at 2.20pm. He was another coin collector. He planned to keep his collection to fund his retirement.

Another man who flew in from Brisbane to buy a poppy coin wasn't quite as set up as Casey and Manny.

"I've just got a bag of stuff from Woolies," he said.

But his love of coins was just as strong.

"My mum used to collect coins and gave me her old pre-decimal collection so I carried on from that," he said.