Toonie: Difference between revisions
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==Naming== |
==Naming== |
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When the coin was introduced a number of nicknames were suggested. Some of the early ones included ''bearly'', the ''deuce'' and the ''doubloonie'' (a play on "double loonie" and the former Spanish [[doubloon]] coin). A joke refers to the coin as "The Queen with the Bear Behind", and thus the ''moonie''. Another joke poked fun at the then-weak Canadian dollar to [[American dollar]] exchange rate by suggesting that the coin be called "the American silver dollar"{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Finally, the coin has been referred to as the ''Bouchard'' (after Quebec separatist leader [[Lucien Bouchard]]), due to a few reports of the inside disc of the coin separating from the outside in early coins. |
When the coin was introduced a number of nicknames were suggested. Some of the early ones included ''bearly'', the ''deuce'' and the ''doubloonie''and [[meloonie]] (a play on "double loonie" and the former Spanish [[doubloon]] coin). A joke refers to the coin as "The Queen with the Bear Behind", and thus the ''moonie''. Another joke poked fun at the then-weak Canadian dollar to [[American dollar]] exchange rate by suggesting that the coin be called "the American silver dollar"{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Finally, the coin has been referred to as the ''Bouchard'' (after Quebec separatist leader [[Lucien Bouchard]]), due to a few reports of the inside disc of the coin separating from the outside in early coins. |
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Another angle to the name pairs the word "toonie" up with the "loonie" (one dollar coin) to complete the reference to "loonie toonie" or the famous and popular [[Looney Tunes]] cartoons; an indirect jibe at Canadian politicians who introduced the coins replacing the paper currency equivalents. |
Another angle to the name pairs the word "toonie" up with the "loonie" (one dollar coin) to complete the reference to "loonie toonie" or the famous and popular [[Looney Tunes]] cartoons; an indirect jibe at Canadian politicians who introduced the coins replacing the paper currency equivalents. |
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Revision as of 16:20, 13 February 2007
Canada | |
| Value | 2.00 CAD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 7.3 g |
| Diameter | 28 mm |
| Thickness | 1.8 mm |
| Edge | Intermittent milled/smooth |
| Composition | outer ring 99% 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 |
Toonie (sometimes spelled twonie) is the nickname Canadians collectively gave their two-dollar coin; it is a portmanteau word combining the number "two" with the name of the loonie, Canada's one-dollar coin. In Canadian French it is sometimes known as a polar, to rhyme with huard, for loonie.
Introduced on February 19, 1996, 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.
Naming
When the coin was introduced a number of nicknames were suggested. Some of the early ones included bearly, the deuce and the doubloonieand meloonie (a play on "double loonie" and the former Spanish doubloon coin). A joke refers to the coin as "The Queen with the Bear Behind", and thus the moonie. Another joke poked fun at the then-weak Canadian dollar to American dollar exchange rate by suggesting that the coin be called "the American silver dollar"[citation needed]. Finally, the coin has been referred to as the Bouchard (after Quebec separatist leader Lucien Bouchard), due to a few reports of the inside disc of the coin separating from the outside in early coins.
Another angle to the name pairs the word "toonie" up with the "loonie" (one dollar coin) to complete the reference to "loonie toonie" or the famous and popular Looney Tunes cartoons; an indirect jibe at Canadian politicians who introduced the coins replacing the paper currency equivalents.
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 to the common polar bear spottings in Churchill, Manitoba.
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. |
| 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'. [1] |
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 |
Trivia
- Many toonies in the first shipment of the coins were defective, and could separate if struck hard or frozen, as the centre piece would shrink more than the outside. This problem was quickly corrected, and the initial wave of so-called toonie popping blew over a few months after the coin's introduction. Such a "separated coin" may still be redeemed at a bank for its face value. However, Canada's Currency Act explicitly prohibits the deliberate "break up" of "any coin"[2].