| Canada | |
| Value | 2.00 CAD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 7.3 g |
| Diameter | 28 mm |
| Thickness | 1.8 mm |
| Edge | Intermittent milled/smooth |
| Composition |
outer ring 92% Cu, 6% Al, 2% Ni |
| Years of minting | 1996–present |
| Catalog number | - |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada |
| Designer | Susanna Blunt |
| Design date | 2003 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | Polar Bear in early summer on an ice floe |
| Designer | Brent Townsend |
| Design date | 1996 |
The Canadian 2 dollar coin, commonly called Toonie, was introduced on February 19, 1996 by Public Works minister Diane Marleau. The Toonie is a bi-metallic coin which bears an image of a polar bear, by Campbellford, Ontario artist Brent Townsend, on the reverse. The obverse, like all other current Canadian coins, has a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. It has the words "ELIZABETH II / D.G. REGINA" in a different typeface from any other Canadian coin; it is also the only coin to consistently bear its issue date on the obverse. According to its website, the coin "is manufactured using a distinctive bi-metallic coin locking mechanism patented by the Royal Canadian Mint".[1]
It costs 16 cents to mint a Toonie, which is estimated to last 20 years. The discontinued two-dollar bill cost six cents to print and, on average, each bill lasted only one year.[2]
Contents |
Toonie (sometimes spelled "twonie")[3] is the unofficial name for Canada's two-dollar coin; it is a portmanteau word combining the number "two" with the name of the loonie, Canada's one-dollar coin.
When the coin was introduced, a number of nicknames were suggested. Some of the early ones included the bearie (analogous to the Loonie and its loon), the bearly, the deuce, the doubloonie (a play on "double loonie" and the former Spanish doubloon coin), and the moonie (because it depicted "the Queen with a bear behind").[4]
Jack Iyerak Anawak, Member of Parliament from Nunatsiaq, Nunavut, suggested the name Nanuq [nanook, polar bear] in honour of Canada's Inuit people and their northern culture; however, this culturally meaningful proposal went largely unnoticed beside the popular toonie.[5][6]
The name toonie became so widely accepted that in 2006 the Royal Canadian Mint secured the rights to it. A competition to name the bear resulted in the name "Churchill", a reference both to Winston Churchill and to the common polar bear sightings in Churchill, Manitoba.[7] At the official website of the Royal Canadian Mint, the latest commemorative version of this coin is called the "Québec [City] 400th anniversary toonie."[8]
Under the direction of Dr. Hieu C. Truong, the RCM engineering division designed the two dollar coin to be made from two different metals. The metals for the bi-metallic coin would be lighter and thinner than those produced anywhere in the world. To join the two parts, the engineering division perfected a bi-mechanic locking mechanism which was patented.[9] By the end of 1996, the Winnipeg facility had struck 375 million of these coins.[10] The coin was officially launched at Ben’s Deli in Montreal on February 19, 1996.[9]
The community of Campbellford, home to the coin's designer, constructed a 27-foot toonie monument,[11] similar to the "Big Loonie" in Echo Bay and the Big Nickel in Sudbury.
| Year | Theme | Artist | Mintage | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The founding of Nunavut | G. Arnaktavyok | 25,130,000 | Commemorating the founding of Nunavut, featuring an Inuit drummer. |
| 2000 | Knowledge/Le Savoir | Tony Bianco | 29,880,000 | Millennium edition, the coin value "2 DOLLARS" appears on the obverse instead of on the reverse. It also features three polar bears.
The issue date of the 2000 coin is on the reverse instead of the obverse side.[12] |
| 2002 | The 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign | Brent Townsend | 27,020,000 | The issue date reads 1952-2002. |
| 2006 | 10th Anniversary | Tony Bianco | 35,319,000 | Featuring an updated pose of the bear looking up at the dramatic lines of an Aurora Borealis. The first circulation coin to be introduced with the new 'mintmark'.[13]
The issue date reads 1996-2006.[14] |
| 2008 | 400th Anniversary of founding of Quebec City & 1st French settlement in North America. | The coin was designed by Quebec City native Genevieve Bertrand, a jeweller who practices her craft at a boutique in St-Georges-de-Beauce. The engraving was done by RCM engraver William Woodruff. | 6,000,000 | The design of the coin is dominated by a large fleur-de-lis. Other elements include a ship, and lines representing the St. Lawrence River.[8] |
| 2011 | Boreal Forest | Nolin BBDO Montreal | 5,000,000 | Celebrates Canada's boreal forest that covers over half of Canada's landmass. Features 3 stylized trees, a bird and a man.[15] |
| Year | Theme | Artist | Mintage | Issue price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Young Lynx | Christie Paquet | 15000 | $49.95 |
| Year | Theme | Mintage | Issue Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Polar Bear | 2,375 | $14.95 |
| 2006 | 10th Anniversary Toonie | 5,000 | $15.95 |
| 2006 | New Mint Mark | 5,000 | $29.95 |
A failure in the bimetallic locking mechanism in the first batch of Toonies caused some coins to separate if struck hard or frozen. Despite media reports of defective toonies, the Canadian Mint responded that the odds of a toonie falling apart were about 1 in 60 million.[16] It is against the law to deliberately attempt to separate a toonie. Defacing coin currency is a summary offence under the Canadian Criminal Code, section 456.[17]
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