Perth Minted 2 cent coins 1973 - 1983
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The Perth Mint produced 2 cent coins in 1966, 1967 & 1968 and then from 1973 to 1983. In 1966 Melbourne and Canberra mints were also involved in producing 2 cent coins, each having a distinctive mark to denote the mint. Perth has what is known as the "blunt claw" (image 2 below) and was the only mint to produce 2 cent coins in 1967 & '68 also with the "blunt claw".

Often when researching different aspects of numismatics, official information can be ambiguous or even not available, this is the case when trying to determine which mint produced which type of 2 cent coin. Differences have been found with 2 cent coins in the years 1973 to 1983, and I was glad to learn recently that this is a "Re-Discovery" that I had made. With extra information gathered over the past couple of years, I am confident that the Perth and Canberra minted coins can be distinguished.

In determining which type of 2 cent is from which mint, I use this points; (i) shape of the mintmark claw, (ii) obverse fishtailing, (iii) error coins, (iv) mint & bank rolls, (v) opinions of others, (vi) Perth mint Verses Canberra mint.

(i) Shape of the mintmark claw
Above - (1) Canberra coin with the "sharp" claw, (2) Perth coin with the "blunt" claw (3) Perth coin with the "short" claw
An obvious difference can be seen between 1 & 2. The short claw 3 is shorter and not as pointed as the Canberra sharp claw, and not as blunt as the 1960s blunt claw of Perth. These short claws have only been found in the years 1973 to and including 1983. The same years the Perth mint produced 2 cent coins.

Flat based letters - Canberra	Curved based letters - Perth

(ii) Obverse fishtailing
Above - "Flat" based letters and "Curved" based letters. Curved based letters are also known as "fishtailing". Articles by Jon Saxton & John Sharples are worth reading to get an insight as to how or where this effect takes place. It should be noted that Jon Saxton's is a work in progress.
How, when or where this fishtailing occurs I leave to others to decide, what is important, is that it occurs on 2 cent coins.
Separating the coins 1973 to 1983 with flat based and curved based letters, you will find that the flat based letters have the sharp Canberra claw, the curved based letters have the short claw. I must stress at this point that the curved based lettering on coins should be used as an aid to identification.

John Sharples 2 excerpts - [The Spink coin was the best known working strike of a 1930 penny, not a proof striking. And at the same time evidence now existed that 'curved bases' come from a weakness in the striking of the coins, not a die variety.]
[And why is it often difficult to be sure if a penny is or is not of the curved based variety? Because the flaw is not on the die but in how it was used. Every gradation from straight based to very curved should exist and most of the curves will be hard to pick.] - these excerpts were in relation to the 1930 penny.

(iii) Error coins
Predominantly "clipped planchets" and "ram strikes", after viewing a considerable number of these types of errors and noting the short claw and or fishtailing, I have only come across 1 clipped planchet (curved), and 1 ram strike I would class as coming from Canberra during the period 1973 to 1983.
1966 curve, straight and rim clips I have, are from Perth and Melbourne, none from Canberra. The relevence I place on this, is the quality control within the mints. Clips and ram strikes in the years where the Perth mint did not strike any 2 cent coins are very difficult to find

(iv) Mint & Bank rolls
The Canberra mint only rolled coins they produced and rolled in "Royal Australian Mint" paper. Coins sent from RAM to the Reserve Bank (2c 1973-83) were already rolled. There is an unconfirmed report that the RAM did use "Reserve Bank of Australia paper" one year, as the RAM had run out of the "Royal Australian Mint paper", however the year is not known.
Perth minted 2 cent coins where sent to the Reserve Bank in bulk and the Bank rolled them in "Reserve Bank of Australia" paper.

Greg McDonalds catalogue excerpt - "The following information regarding the rolling of currency coins was supplied by decimal coin specialist, Kevin Ayres of Canberra Numisco. Kevin reports that from 1973 to 1983 coins from Perth, Wales (UK) and Canada were delivered loose to the various branches of the Reserve Bank of Australia where they were machine rolled in Reserve Bank printed paper."

Peter Andrews - I talked to Alan Flint who was at the reserve bank in 1966 when the copper arrived from Melbourne and Perth mints in drums and the coins were rolled at the bank. I think this 1974 roll contains Perth mint coins as my understanding is that all Canberra minted 2c were rolled at the RAM.

(v) Opinions of others
Peter Andrews - I talked to Alan Flint who was at the reserve bank in 1966 when the copper arrived from Melbourne and Perth mints in drums and the coins were rolled at the bank. I think this 1974 roll contains Perth mint coins as my understanding is that all Canberra minted 2c were rolled at the RAM.
Mick Vort-Ronald ACR excerpt - "All of the Perth Mint 1973, 1974 and 1975 two cent coins examined by me seemed to, have the applicable claw only partially blunted and it is impossible to say whether it is a poor striking of either Mint. In other words, a poor strike of a Canberra coin or an indistinct blunting of a Perth coin.
Generally speaking, it appears that the only sure way to discern between Perth Mint and Canberra Mint coins is to consider any mint two cent coins wrapped in 'Reserve Bank' wrappers to be, Perth Mint and in 'Royal Australian Mint' wrappers to be. Canberra Coins."
"However, the actual difference between the coins from the Canberra and Perth Mints is now so slight as to make it almost impossible to tell the difference. Such being the case, it would appear futile to try and collect and distinguish between each Mint in coins currently being produced. This is a great pity because the 1966 coins were readily discernible (with practice) by the privy marks and the chance to make our present two cent coins more interesting to the collector appears to have been lost."

I disagree with Mick's last statement, but to his defence, his article was published some 18 years ago and only three (year) coins had been minted by the Perth mint at that time. He does leave me a couple of openings however, "almost impossible to tell the difference" & "appear futile to try and collect".
I consider the differences will be hard to detect initially, what appears futile to one person is a challenge to another.

(vi) Perth mint Verses Canberra mint
A conversation with Tony Byrne at the Melbourne coin show Oct. 2003 yielded some very interesting tit-bits, as close as I can recall it went like this. "1972/3 the master tools for the 2c coins were sent to Perth (1966 original Perth die blunt claw type). RAM was not happy with the striking quality. Perth mint said it was the master tools which were at fault, not the coining presses in use. New master tools were sent to Perth, again from Canberra. (I'm assuming in 1973) 1st batch of coins with a blunt claw were released into circulation along with ones of the new die."

It is widely talked about that in general a higher quality strike of the 2 cent coins come from Canberra and not Perth. If this is the case, then another lesser aid can be employed.

The above conversation yielded another possibility, two types of Perth minted coins. The Perth minted 1973 coin does have a short claw and blunt claw.

Summation
Canberra minted 2c coins 1973/83 have a sharp claw, flat based letters, in general a better striking quality and come from Royal Australian Mint rolls.
Perth minted 2c coins 1973/83 have a short claw, curved based letters (can appear flat at times), in general a lower striking quality and come from Reserve Bank of Australia rolls.

Acknowledgements
John Sharples "Curved bases, fish-tails and the 1930 penny" - Australian Coin Review - April 88 v24n10 p21
Jon Saxton ... www.triton.vg/lettering.html curved based letters - fishtailing
Greg McDonalds Coin & Banknote catalogue 11th Edition. p100
Mick Vort-Ronald "The Perth Two Cent Coins" - Australian Coin Review - June 76 v12n12 p19
Peter Andrews ... personal comm.
Tony Byrne ... personal comm.

Happy hunting