Canadian Two Dollar Obverse Designs
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This page shows the major die designs since Canadian two dollar coins were introduced in 1996. It does NOT cover "die blunders", where dies were re-punched
with different years (and the previous number is visible below the current number), or where cracks appeared in the dies causing unwanted lines
to appear in the coin. It also does not cover date doubling or special coins created for the collector market. All of the coin designs displayed here were
manufactured for general circulation as legal tender. The 2-dollar coin was first introduced on February 19, 1996, to replace the 2-dollar bill. 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 While many versions of the outer ring exist, only two versions of the core have ever been made: The "Crowned" or Diademed Queen (1990-2003) and the "Mature" Queen (2003-present). NOTE: Click on any photo to load a much larger version of the same photo |
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Queen Elizabeth II  The first two dollar coin featured a diademed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Dora de Pedry-Hunt and Ago Aarand |
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Diademed Portrait designed by Dora de Pedry-Hunt and Ago Aarand, any coins from these years that were manufactured at the Winnipeg branch
of the Mint are identified by a small "W" mint mark to the right or left of the Queen's necklace.
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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." Because this special design occupied too much space on the reverse, the words "2 DOLLARS" were moved to the obverse of the coin. |
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In some 2002 coins a minor variety appeared with a small dot inside the "H" in ELIZABETH. 2002 "Dot" 
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Mature Portrait During the 2003 production run, the obverse was changed to feature a more mature image of Elizabeth, designed by Susanna Blunt and Susan Taylor. |
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2006 2 dollar circulation coin
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 Brent Townsend. - The second featuring his updated pose of the bear looking up at the dramatic lines of an Aurora Borealis, designed by Tony Bianco and Steve Witten. 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 Canada; 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. 
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Mature Portrait During the 2006 production run, the obverse was changed to show the date above the queen's effigy, designed by Susanna Blunt and Susan Taylor. |
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2008 2 dollar circulation coin - 400th Anniversary of the founding of Quebec City A new reverse of the two-dollar circulation coin commemorating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City was created for 2008. The date was moved to the reverse side of the coin, and "D.G. REGINA" was removed for this issue only. 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. |
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Boreal Forest As part of it's Legendary Nature series, the Mint released a special 2 dollar coin honoring Canada's boreal forest. The Mint logo has been removed from the obverse. |
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During the 2012 production year a radical design change was made to increase security and combat couterfeiting. While the new two-dollar coin maintains the traditional Queen Elizabeth II obverse design, there are two changes to the obverse: - The date was moved to the bottom. - The Mint logo was removed to make room for the date. - Edge-lettering of the words "CANADA" and "2 DOLLARS" are engraved along the coin's outer edge. The edge lettering which was introduced along with the new security features is stamped into each coin by a separate press, so there is no way to control which side faces up as each coin enters the press. As a result there are two varieties of each coin. - With the Type A edge the edge lettering is right side up when the obverse is showing:   |
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During 2012 a special circulation coin was designed by Bonnie Ross for the Mint's War of 1812 Bicentennial series. It depicts the HMS Shannon
leaving the Halifax harbor during the War of 1812. Special features: - In an original design, the image covers the entire reverse side of the coin. - First commemorative coin to incorporate the Mint's new security features. - Includes Government of Canada's 1812 logo. - Depicts HMS Shannon's figurehead. - The font used on the obverse was changed - "D.G. REGINA" was removed from the obverse - "CANADA" was moved from the reverse side to the obverse - A more traditional, more detailed maple leaf was added to the bottom of the obverse |
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For 2014, a special coin was created to honour the Second World War, depicting a soldier going off to war, and his young son trying to catch up as he marched away. In 2015, two special coins were minted: - A coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of Canadian John McRae's First World War poem "In Flanders Fields". - A coin honouring the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir John A. McDonald, Canada's first Prime Minister. For 2016, a special coin was created to honour the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. All four of these coins used the same obverse. |
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The standard Polar Bear design was used for the classic 2 dollar coin (only produced for the "Classic Canadian Coin Set"), but the Queen's effigy was slightly changed in comparison to
the previous obverse design. |
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While the standard Polar Bear design was used for the classic 2 dollar coin (only produced for the "Classic Canadian Coin Set"), a special series of circulation coins
were produced to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Confederation. For these special circulation coins, the standard RCM logo on the obverse was replaced by the official Canada150 logo. While two versions of the 2 dollar coin were released (standard and coloured-glow in the dark), both coins use the same obverse. Also, the typeface used for the text on the obverse was changed to utilise the official "Canada150" typeface. |
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With the October 2017 release of the Vimy Ridge commemorative two dollar coin, a third obverse design was employed. While the outer ring design is the same as the special two dollar releases from 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Queen's effigy used in the other 2017 two dollar coins was used. The same obverse design was used on the 2018 Armistice, 2019 D-Day and both designs of 2020 two dollar coins (Bill Reid and the 75th anniversary of the end of WW2). |
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In October of 2022 the Royal Canadian Mint released a pair of commemorative two dollar coins. They celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 Canada-USSR hockey Summit Series.
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic hockey series that captivated this nation, igniting passions and uniting Canadians around their national team. The 1972 Summit Series was a defining moment for Canadians, and the 2022 $2 commemorative circulation coins proudly honour Canada's Summit Series team. Design: The reverse design by Susanna Blunt is similar to the standard polar bear $2 coins from 2018-2022 except a maple leaf was added at the top of the obverse on the outer ring. |
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In December of 2022 the Royal Canadian Mint released a special commemorative two dollar coin which serves as a solemn tribute to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).
Designed to emulate a mourning arm band, the black outer ring surrounds the design at the centre of the coin's obverse.
She was a constant presence in the lives of Canadians, who will forever remember her unwavering dedication to public service and deep affection for Canada and our people. Design: Designed by Susanna Blunt, the default $2 obverse design features the last effigy of Queen Elizabeth II used on Canadian coinage. The outer ring is made of black tinted nickel plated steel. |
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After the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 2022, the Royal Canadian Mint changed the obverses of all 2023 coins. They added four pearls below her effigy, symbolizing the four effigies of Her Majesty that have graced Canadian coins since her coronation in 1953. The pearls are flanked by the dates "1952" and "2022" which signify the years she reigned over the United Kingdom. |
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 After the accession of Prince Charles to the throne of the United Kingdom, the process started to select an effigy of King Charles III in standing with the Canadian tradition of displaying the reigning British monarch on Canadian coins. You can read more about the process on the Royal Canadian Mint's web site. Click here to read their article. The design submitted by artist Steven Rosati was chosen and approved. You will note that on the right side of the obverse the text "D.G. Rex" is displayed (Rex is the Latin word for King, where Regina is the Latin word for Queen). Also, following a tradition that dates back to Charles II in the 17th century, each new monarch faces the opposite direction than their predecessor did. Because of this, the King's image faces to the left of the coins. |
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