- Did you scroll all this way to get facts about canadian toonie? Well you're in luck, because here they come. There are 91 canadian toonie for sale on Etsy, and they cost $14.61 on average. The most common canadian toonie material is metal. The most popular color? You guessed it: silver.
- That's because the new toonie, with a stunning design of the iconic Northern Lights, GLOWS IN THE DARK. The Royal Canadian Mint announced a special set of coins that would be circulated this year.
A loonie, the Canadian $1 coin, gets its name from the picture of the Canadian bird, the loon, that appears on one side of the coin. A toonie, the name for the $2 coin, gained a similar nickname to match the sound of the loonie. Spoiler alert: these loonies and toonies aren’t the same as that commonly known American childhood cartoon.
Royal Canadian Mint marks 100 years since B.C. artist Bill Reid’s birth
If you’re a coin collector — or perhaps you’re given an allowance in toonies — there are two new special edition coins you should watch out for.
Starting today, the Royal Canadian Mint is putting new toonies in circulation to mark 100 years since B.C. artist Bill Reid’s birth.
Reid was a Haida artist. The Haida are a group of Indigenous people living in the Haida Gwaii archipelago, a group of islands off the coast of British Columbia.
The $2 coins are branded with an image Reid painted on a ceremonial drum in 1998 called Xhuwaji, Haida Grizzly Bear.
Here are the new coins to watch for:
The Haida grizzly bear was a favourite character of Reid’s and continues to act as an important symbol for the Haida Nation.
And now that symbol serves as the design.
Each year, the Royal Canadian Mint creates special circulation coins. This year, it is a $2 Bill Reid commemorative circulation coin. (Image credit: Royal Canadian Mint)
Reid died in 1998 of Parkinson's disease.
Canadian Toonies And Loonies
In his lifetime, he created more than 1,500 pieces of art, ranging from jewelry to monumental carvings and sculptures.
“Thanks to his timeless art, the artists who he inspired and apprenticed, and his role in introducing the world to Haida art and culture, he will never be forgotten and will forever be celebrated.” - Royal Canadian Mint
His work is known to have helped bring global recognition and respect to Northwest Coast art.
Hoping to get your hands on one of these unique coins?
Canadian Toonie And Loonie
There are three million new toonies in circulation as of today, two million of which are in full colour.
Bill Reid’s art ranges from jewelry to monumental carvings. (Image credit: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art)
Value Of Canadian Loonie
With files from CBC Radio’s As It Happens