When was toonie introduced

But what to call it? Social Sharing. It was time to reinforce Canadian pockets — again. Canadians accept the toonie -- mostly 25 years ago Related Stories Photos. JACK Jack The New K Country K-ROCK KiSS KRAZE Lake LiVE The Lounge M FM Magic Magic - Guelph Add this station to My Stations.

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Q98 - Battlefords Add this station to My Stations. Radio Regent Add this station to My Stations. The Ranch The Toonie is a bi-metallic coin. The first collection of it consisted of aluminum bronze the inner core and pure nickel the outer ring.

It had been made this way for as long as 15 years until things changed in The composition of the outer ring switched to steel coated with multi-plated nickel, while the inner core switched to an aluminum bronze coated with multi-plated brass.

The reverse side of the coin bears an image of a polar bear which was created by artist Brent Townsend. The 'Toonie' has a life span approximately 20 times longer than paper currency and is manufactured using a distinctive bi-metallic coin locking mechanism patented by the Royal Canadian Mint. Reverse side designs Technical specifications Mintages. The design of this bi-metallic coin with the Polar Bear on its reverse, or "tails" side, has evolved as the Royal Canadian Mint continues to use its coins to celebrate Canada's history, culture and values.

The same has happened to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's portrait on the obverse, or "heads" side, as her image was updated on all of Canada's circulation coinage in Follow this guide to help you better understand and appreciate the diverse features of the "Toonies" circulating today. This image of Her Majesty appeared on all Canadian circulation coins from to The iconic Polar Bear design on the reverse is the work of renowned wildlife artist Brent Townsend.

Nunavut First Nations artist Germaine Arnaktauyok created a special design to commemorate the founding of Nunavut, Canada's newest territory.

This design appeared on all two-dollar coins produced for general circulation. In , the Polar Bear design appeared only in a limited number of special coin sets produced for the collector market. For the new millennium, artist Tony Bianco illustrated a female polar bear and her two cubs to represent the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next. The inscription on the coin's outer rim reads "Knowledge - Le Savoir. In June , the Government of Canada announced that an updated effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would appear on all Canadian circulation coins in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Queen's coronation.

This design is the work of artist Susanna Blunt, whose prior experience with Buckingham Palace included painting a portrait of Prince Edward.