Irish two pence (decimal coin)

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Two Pence Dhá Phingin
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Ornamental Bird

The two pence coin was the third smallest denomination of the Irish pound which was decimalised on Decimal Day, February 15, 1971 it was the third of three new designs introduced all in bronze.

The coin was designed by the Irish artist Gabriel Hayes and the design is adapted from the Second Bible of Charles the Bald held at Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France. The coin originally had a diameter of 2.591 centimetres and weight of 7.128 grams consisting of copper, tin and zinc.

In 1990 the decision was taken to produce the coin on a copper plated steel base as the bronze had become relatively expensive. This accounts for the reason that some coins are affected by magnets - these are the steel base plate coins. After reducing the size of the five and ten pence coins introduced in the early 1990s, the two pence coin was the fourth largest Irish coin, with only the twenty and fifty pence and the pound coin coins being larger in the series.

The coin was 1/50 of an Irish Pound and was withdrawn on the advent of the euro.