2012 Steel Loonies & Toonies

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Does anyone know if the current Toonies that are found in the rolls are of the new steel composition?

I know the ones in the uncirculated sets are nickel/copper but didn't know if the ones produced for circulation in 2012 are produced that way.

According to what I have read, they would be out late March or early April. I wouldn't have thought that they would have produced 2012 circulation coins in the old composition.

The RCM said that the new Loonies and 2$ would be made of Multi-ply steel as of summer 2012, thats the story i read. If you got some 2012's they are most likely of the same composition as all other years unless the RCM decided to produce the new coins earlier then expected.
Perhaps like the 1 cent, we might have two different coinages, same year in circulation.

Thank you.

I'm working on completing my collection of all forms, compositions and derivatives of the $2 coin. I have 114 in my collection (with some duplicates) and 25 left to go. The 2012 Steel will make that 26.

Unfortunately, the gold composition coins of 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2006 are among those remaining and probably will be for some time!

That's a pretty good collection you have. I usually only collect the circulation issues not the die varieties like the ones found in 1996.  At this point i am only missing the 1996-2006 regular (not churchill) variety. This one seems though to find, well i guess with only 5,005,000 minted. Many years back i found a 2000w polar bear in change, its not in great condition probably EF-40, its the only "non-circulated" $2 i have. Anyone know the exact mintage of 2000W?

Further information on the new stell loonies and toonies was released today from the RCM:

http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/new-1-and-2-6800002

They are becoming a little more high tech like the polymer notes.

Wow that's a surprise. It's certainly not everyday that the RCM makes a permanent change to its circulating coins.

The virtual image on the $2 is a nice feature, having seen them on the Japanese 500 yen coins and Spanish 500 peseta coins (before the euro.) You tilt the coin and images appear at different angles.

Never thought I'd see the day that Canadian currency would be among the most advanced security-wise considering the relative low-tech of the series up to the Journey notes and that massive failure with the pre security Journey $10s.

I personally dislike the placement of the new virtual image on the toonie.  In addition, they have changed the font which was to me a defining feature of the coin.

On the $1 The loon and the word Canada are now disproportionate to the rest of the coin's field. 

I do like the edge lettering.  That feature adds a new dimension to the toonie.

Why don't they go the whole 9 yards and redesign the entire circulating coin set?  The current designs are tired, being from 1937.

Why don't they go the whole 9 yards and redesign the entire circulating coin set?  The current designs are tired, being from 1937.

Absolutely, it's about time... What I really dislike about the current set is the "american" denominations, with 5 cents being larger than 10, and 25 cents followed by 1 dollar. The designs are also fairly inconsistent, and the size of the denomination numbers is too small, especially on the 10 cent coin. I do like the euro zone coins, the sizes and the designs are very practical.

The new toonie design is too busy, with the hologram/virtual image at the top and the two laser marks crammed next to the denomination text. The loonie is a bit better.

Aside from that, kudos to RCM for going with plated coinage for all denominations and to BOC for releasing the state-of-the-art polymer notes. Quite a leap from the Birds and the early Journey series.

So when can we expect these new coins to hit circulation?

Press release states (April 10 2012) says the coins go into circulation today (April 10 2012). Here's the important bit:

Ottawa, Ontario, April 10, 2012 — The Royal Canadian Mint is pleased to announce that a new generation of one-dollar and two-dollar circulation coins, which incorporate advanced security features and are manufactured with the Mint's patented multi-ply plated steel technology begins circulating today. 

Full article at: http://www.mint.ca/store/news/royal-canadian-mint-introduces-a-new-generation-of-onedollar-and-twodollar-circulation-coins-14900003?cat=News+releases&nId=700002&parentnId=600004&nodeGroup=About+the+Mint.

(What a link!!)

Guess it's just time til your bank gets 'em.

John

Saw the loonies on my coffee table and at a first thought they were foreign, then that they were those plastic pirate coins in the sunlight (nice first impression).

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{http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/7321/dsc2139g.jpg:http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/7321/dsc2139g.th.jpg}

Got my first couple of new loonies from the (or one of the many) Walmarts here in Mississauga. Also a couple of 2012 1 cent coins. Kept one of the 2012 1 cent coins!

Let's see the toonie!

John

Here are the toonies, got them at the local Metro store.

{http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7871/scan0005p.jpg:http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7871/scan0005p.th.jpg}

Haven't seen any of them yet here in montreal.
Now for the 2012 Loonies and two dollars did the RCM mint/Circulate any original design 2012 loonies, Two dollars?