Balance and composition – the 2-dollar coin

Composition: Outer ring of 99% nickel and inner core of 92% copper, 6% aluminum and 2% nickel*
Weight (g): 7.3
Diameter (mm): 28
Thickness (mm): 1.8
* Applies to all coins from 1996 to present

(1996-1998 and 2001-2003)

When introduced in 1996, the two-dollar circulation coin showed a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II designed by Canadian artist Dora de Pedery-Hunt. This image of Her Majesty appeared on all Canadian circulation coins from 1990 to 2003. The iconic Polar Bear design on the reverse is the work of renowned wildlife artist Brent Townsend.

The Founding of Nunavut (1999)

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 1999 two-dollar coins produced for general circulation. In 1999, the Polar Bear design appeared only in a limited number of special coin sets produced for the collector market.

Path of Knowledge (2000)

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." This was the only "tails" design to appear on the 2000 two-dollar circulation coin.

The end of an era, the birth of a new effigy (2003)

2003 was the last year the Dora de Pedery-Hunt design of Her Majesty's effigy appeared on the two-dollar circulation coin. In June 2003, 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. It is by no mistake that two-dollar circulation coins dated 2003 show both the "crowned" and "uncrowned" effigy of Her Majesty.

Two new coins for the 10th Anniversary of the two-dollar circulation coin (2006)

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of its introduction, the two-dollar circulation coin was produced in two versions: the first honouring the traditional Polar Bear design of artist Tony Bianco and the second featuring his updated pose of the bear looking up at the dramatic lines of an Aurora Borealis.

It is important to note the position of 1996-2006 double date on each coin: the traditional bear design shows the date beneath the effigy of Her Majesty, while the updated bear shows the date above the effigy.

In 2006, the Mint also introduced the Mint Mark on the obverse side of all Canadian circulation coinage. The Mint Mark encompasses the three elements of the Mint's corporate name: M for Mint; a Maple leaf for Canadian; and a crown for Royal and Crown Corporation. It features the Mint design within a circle and consists of a symbol depicting a stylized maple leaf emerging from the letter M.

With the exception of the 2008 two-dollar circulation coin celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, the Mint Mark always appears beneath the effigy of Her Majesty on the obverse of two-dollar circulation coins produced since 2006. Since the introduction of the Mint Mark, the maple leaf no longer appears above the effigy of Her Majesty.

400th Anniversary of the founding of Quebec City (2008)

Quebec artist Geneviève Bertrand won a design competition to create a new reverse of the two-dollar circulation coin commemorating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. The date 1608 appeared on the left side of the outer ring, while 2008 appeared on the right of the ring on this commemorative coin's reverse side. Only six million of these special coins circulated, in addition to more than 17 million 2008 Toonies produced with the traditional Polar Bear design.

As the date was moved to the reverse side of this commemorative coin, the Mint Mark was moved to the core of the coin on the obverse, to the immediate left of Her Majesty's effigy.