Toonie
| Canada | |
| Value | 2.00 CAD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 6.92 (was 7.30 before 2012[1]) g |
| Diameter | 28[2] mm |
| Thickness | 1.75[2] (was 1.8 before 2012[3]) mm |
| Edge | Intermittent milled/smooth |
| Composition | 1996–2011 outer ring 99% Ni inner core aluminum bronze (92% Cu, 6% Al, 2% Ni) 2012– outer ring steel, nickel plating inner core aluminum bronze, brass plating |
| Years of minting | 1996–present |
| Catalog number | - |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Elizabeth II, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada |
| Designer | Susanna Blunt |
| Design date | 2003 |
| Reverse | |
| File:Toonie - front.png | |
| Design | Polar bear in early summer on an ice floe |
| Designer | Brent Townsend |
| Design date | 1996 |
The Canadian two dollar coin, commonly called the toonie, was introduced on February 19, 1996 by Public Works minister Diane Marleau. The toonie is a bi-metallic coin which on the reverse side bears an image of a polar bear by artist Brent Townsend. The obverse, like all other current Canadian circulation 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.
The coin is manufactured using a patented distinctive bi-metallic coin locking mechanism.[2] The coins are estimated to last 20 years. The discontinued two-dollar bill was less expensive to manufacture, but on average each bill lasted only one year.[4]
On April 10, 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) announced design changes to the loonie and toonie, which include new security features.[5][6]
Prior to 2012, the coin consisted of an aluminum bronze inner core with a pure nickel outer ring;[7] however in spring 2012 the composition of the inner core switched to aluminum bronze coated with multi-ply plated brass, and the outer ring switched to steel coated with multi-ply plated nickel. The weight dropped from 7.30 to 6.92 grams, and the thickness changed from 1.8 to 1.75 millimetres. The Mint states that multi-ply plated steel technology, already used in Canada's smaller coinage, produces an electromagnetic signature that is harder to counterfeit than that for regular alloy coins; also, using steel provides cost savings and avoids fluctuations in price or supply of nickel.[1][8]
Contents
Naming
"Toonie" is a portmanteau word combining the number "two" with the name of the loonie, Canada's one-dollar coin. It is occasionally spelled "twonie" or "twoonie", but Canadian newspapers and the Royal Canadian Mint use the "toonie" spelling.
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").[9]
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".[10][11]
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.[12]
Launch
Paul Martin announced the replacement of the $2 banknote with a coin in the 1995 federal budget speech.[13] The RCM spent CA$17,400 to canvass 2000 Canadian households about which of the ten theme options they preferred.[13]
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.[14] By the end of 1996, the Winnipeg facility had struck 375 million of these coins.[15] The coin was officially launched at Ben’s Deli in Montreal on February 19, 1996.[14]
The weight of the coin was originally specified as 112.64 grains, equivalent to 7.299 grams.[16]
The community of Campbellford, home to the coin's designer, constructed a 27-foot toonie monument,[17] similar to the "Big Loonie" in Echo Bay and the Big Nickel in Sudbury.
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.[18] |
| 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'.[19]
The issue date reads 1996-2006.[20] |
| 2008 | 400th anniversary of founding of Quebec City & 1st French settlement in North America. | The coin was designed by jeweller Genevieve Bertrand, a Quebec City native. 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.[21] |
| 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.[22] |
| 2012 | War of 1812: HMS Shannon | Bonnie Ross | 5,000,000 | Part of a series of commemorative issues on the War of 1812. Features a modified reverse with HMS Shannon in the centre core, as well as artwork with "The War of 1812, HMS Shannon" in the outer ring. |
| 2014 | Wait for Me Daddy | Claude Dettloff | TBD | Inspired by the iconic photograph known as Wait for Me, Daddy, which was taken on October 1, 1940, in New Westminster, B.C. by photographer Claude Dettloff.[24] |
| 2015 | 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir John A. Macdonald | Glen Green | TBD | The design features a portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald superimposed on the map of Canada in the center, and in the outer ring are the dates "1815" and "2015".[25] |
Specimen set editions
| Year | Theme | Artist | Mintage | Issue price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Young lynx | Christie Paquet | 15,000 | $49.95 |
| 2011 | Baby elk | Christie Paquet | 15,000 | $49.95 |
| 2012 | Wolf cubs | Emily Damstra | 15,000 | $49.95 |
| 2013 | Black bear cubs | Glen Loates | 17,500 | $49.95 |
| 2014 | Baby rabbits | Pierre Leduc | 17,500 | $49.95 |
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.[9] 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.
See also
- Newfoundland 2 dollar coin (predating Canada's coin)
References
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- ↑ [1] Royal Canadian Mint. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Royal Canadian Mint. "Canadians Choose Churchill as Official Name of Toonie Polar Bear." Retrieved 27 Jan 2011.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Royal Canadian Mint: 100 Years of History, p.177, Published by Les Éditions Stromboli, 2008, St. Lambert, Québec, Canada, Project Co-Oridnator: Francesco Bellomo, Project Manager for Royal Canadian Mint: Susan Aubry, Legal Deposit: Library and Archives Canada, ISBN 2-921800-26-8
- ↑ The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 61st Edition, p.139, edited by W.K. Cross, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-315-8
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Canada's two-dollar coin and its polar bear turn 10 this year". CNW Telbec, August 28, 2006.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.talismancoins.com/catalog/Canada_2006_10thAnn_$2.jpg
- ↑ Quebec City - 400th Anniversary Toonie. Royal Canadian Mint. Retrieved 27 Jan 2011.
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ http://www.coinnews.net/2012/06/22/canadian-hms-shannon-2-coin-commemorates-war-of-1812/
- ↑ http://www.mint.ca/store/coins/wait-for-me-daddy-coin-pack-2014-prod2210026#.VE6eA_nF81J.
- ↑ [3]
