Toonie
Canada | |
| Value | 2.00 CAD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 7.3 g |
| Diameter | 28 mm |
| Thickness | 1.8 mm |
| Edge | Intermittent milled/smooth |
| Composition | outer ring 100% Ni inner core 92% Cu, 6% Al, 2% Ni |
| Years of minting | 1996–present |
| Catalog number | - |
| Obverse | |
| File:Toonie-obverse2004.jpg | |
| 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 is the only coin in Canada to have the "ELIZABETH II / D.G. REGINA" in a different typeface; it is also the only coin to consistently bear its issue date on the obverse. Canada adopted the patented technology to make these coins from Italy. The engineer, and head of the Italian Mint, Dr. Nicola Ielpo, patented the technology of interlocking two metals in coins in 1990.[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]
Naming
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 and the doubloonie (a play on "double Loonie" and the former Spanish doubloon coin). [3]
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 the common polar bear sightings in Churchill, Manitoba, and Winston Churchill.[4]
Commemorative editions
| 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.[5] |
| 2002 | The 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign | The issue date reads 1952-2002. | ||
| 2006 | 10th Anniversary | Tony Bianco | N/A | Featuring an updated polar bear image with a rising sun behind the bear. The first circulation coin to be introduced with the new 'mintmark'. [6] |
| 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. [7] |
First strikes
| 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 |
Separation of metals
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.[8] It is against the law to deliberately attempt to separate a toonie. Defacing coin currency is a summary offense under the Canadian Criminal Code, section 456.[9]
See also
- Royal Canadian Mint
- Newfoundland 2 dollar coin (predating Canada's coin)