Canadian 2-dollar coin · Elizabeth II
2012 Canadian 2 dollars (toonie)
A 2012 Canadian 2-dollar coin contains no silver.
Reported mintage, 2012
89,185,000The Mint records this coin as outer ring 99% nickel, inner core 92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel. There is no melt trade in it and no dealer prices it by weight.
What the Mint says it is made of
| Period | Composition | Weight | Silver | Diameter | Magnet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 - 2012 | outer ring 99% nickel, inner core 92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel | 7.3 g | none | 28 mm | not stated |
| 2012 - present | outer ring - multi-ply nickel plated steel, insert - multi-ply brass plated aluminum bronze | 6.92 g | none | 28 mm | attracted |
Two entries here is not a mistake in the table. The Mint’s own specification for the 2-dollar coin covers 2012 twice, because the metal changed during that year or at its boundary. Coins struck to each standard carry the same date. They differ by weight, so a scale reading to a hundredth of a gram separates them.
How many were struck
Reported mintage, 2012
That is the 28th lowest of the 29 years in which the Mint reports striking a 2-dollar coin, in a range running from 1,045,000 to 375,483,000. Mintage is a count of coins made, not of coins that survive: the Mint has no way of knowing how many of these were later returned and melted, and for a silver denomination in the 1960s that number is large.
Portrait on the obverse
Elizabeth II
Canadian artist, Susanna Blunt, designed the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, again accompanied by the words ELIZABETH II D G REGINA. Blunt's version recalls the effigy of George VI, who also chose to be portrayed without a crown.
The rest of your 2012 change
Nobody inherits one denomination. If there is a 2012 2-dollar coin in the tin, these are the other coins carrying that date and whether they hold any silver.
| Denomination | Composition in 2012 | Silver | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cent penny | 94% steel, 1.5% nickel, 4.5% copper plating | none | 199,347,000 |
| 5 cents nickel | 94.5% steel, 3.5% copper, 2% nickel plating | none | 202,944,000 |
| 10 cents dime | 92% steel, 5.5% copper, 2.5% nickel | none | 334,675,000 |
| 25 cents quarter | 94% steel, 3.8% copper, 2.2% nickel plating | none | 178,450,000 |
| 50 cents half dollar | 93.15% steel, 4.75% copper, 2.1% nickel plating | none | 250,000 |
| 1 dollar | 91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating; or multi-ply brass plated steel | none | 119,519,000 |