Canada Bimetallic 2 Dollar Coin 1996 Polar Bear - Toonie
In 1996, Canada began replacing its paper $2 note with a circulating coin.
This 1996 bimetal coin features a polar bear.
Obverse: Displays a right-facing profile of Here Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Reverse: Features a polar bear standing on the edge of the icy waters with mountains in the background.
Face value: 2 Canadian Dollars.
Metal Content: 0.1849 troy oz of actual Gold weight.
Ring Composition: 17.2% Au, 77.6% Ag, 5.2% Cu, 4.1Kt.
Core Composition: 91.7% Au, 4.1% Ag, 4.2% Cu, 22Kt.
Mintage of 5000 coins.
Thickness: 1.75 mm.
Diameter: 28 mm.
Grade: Proof.
Manufacturer: Royal Canadian Mint.
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. 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.
On April 10, 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) announced design changes to the loonie and toonie, which include new security features.
Prior to 2012, the coin consisted of an aluminum bronze inner core with a pure nickel outer ring; 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.
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").
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".
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.
Launch
Paul Martin announced the replacement of the 2 Dollar banknote with a coin in the 1995 federal budget speech. The RCM spent CA$17,400 to canvass 2000 Canadian households about which of the ten theme options they preferred.
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. By the end of 1996, the Winnipeg facility had struck 375 million of these coins. The coin was officially launched at Ben’s Deli in Montreal on February 19, 1996.
The weight of the coin was originally specified as 112.64 grains, equivalent to 7.299 grams.
The community of Campbellford, home to the coin's designer, constructed a 27-foot toonie monument, similar to the "Big Loonie" in Echo Bay and the Big Nickel in Sudbury.
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. 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.