Elizabeth II reign and portrait era
Elizabeth II Two Dollars (2003–2023)
This page applies the requested 2003–2023 Elizabeth II browse lens to the reviewed two dollars design, technical-standard, and annual-production evidence.
Scope is limited to the verified type or program level. Issue mintages, prices, varieties, and survival estimates are not inferred from this summary.
Two dollars reign and portrait eras
Know the boundary before the date
Begin with the recorded obverse (Elizabeth II effigy (Susanna Blunt portrait)) and reverse (Polar bear on an ice floe; commemorative reverses in selected years). Then compare date, denomination, portrait, edge, diameter, weight, composition, and finish; a colour change or worn detail alone is not a reliable attribution.
- Primary identifiers — Reverse: Polar bear on an ice floe; commemorative reverses in selected years. Obverse: Elizabeth II effigy (Susanna Blunt portrait).
- Authority and dates — Canada; recorded range 2003–2023.
- Evidence boundary — Unknown specifications remain unknown; unverified varieties, mintages, and prices stay outside the public catalog.
The historical scope of Elizabeth II Two Dollars (2003–2023)
The cited sources place this category under Canada and within the chronology shown here. The 2023 transition can include more than one royal effigy; annual totals are not portrait-specific. Where a label crosses designs, authorities, metals, or portrait transitions, the page keeps those distinctions visible instead of merging them into one invented type.
The catalog places this record in the Two dollars branch, records its material scope as bimetallic nickel/copper-alloy generation through 2011; multi-ply plated generation from 2012, and records its finish as circulation. Those fields are supported by the sources listed below; missing issue-level transitions are not filled by inference.
- 2006 · Tenth anniversary — Two reverse versions marked a decade of the circulation coin.
- 2008 · Quebec City 400 — A six-million special reverse circulated beside the traditional design.
- 2012 · Security redesign — Plated components, edge lettering, laser marks, and a virtual image arrived.
- 2017 · Canada 150 — The annual table reports only the special Canada 150 row.
Design and identification
Begin with the recorded obverse (Elizabeth II effigy (Susanna Blunt portrait)) and reverse (Polar bear on an ice floe; commemorative reverses in selected years). Then compare date, denomination, portrait, edge, diameter, weight, composition, and finish; a colour change or worn detail alone is not a reliable attribution.
- Polar Bear Two Dollars (Toonie) · 1996–present · Brent Townsend — Polar bear on an ice floe; commemorative reverses in selected years. Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family.
Finish by checking the edge (interrupted serrations; edge lettering/security generation from 2012), composition (bimetallic nickel/copper-alloy generation through 2011; multi-ply plated generation from 2012), and any recorded dimensions or weight; colour or wear alone is not enough for attribution.
Official annual production
Annual rows are denomination totals filtered to this requested era. They may combine portraits, commemorative reverses, or parallel formats and are not presented as portrait-only production. The 2023 transition can include more than one royal effigy; annual totals are not portrait-specific.
Displayed-row sum: 569,265,500 · 21 official annual rows
Three anchors that do not depend on price
- 2003–2023 — The verified range assigned to Elizabeth II Two Dollars (2003–2023) in this catalog.
- Polar bear on an ice floe; commemorative reverses in selected years — The principal reverse is the first type-level attribution check.
- bimetallic nickel/copper-alloy generation through 2011; multi-ply plated generation from 2012 — Compare it with the interrupted serrations; edge lettering/security generation from 2012 edge and any recorded measurements.
Specifications within this type
1996 – 2012 · Round, bimetallic
- Composition
- outer ring 99% nickel, inner core 92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel
- Weight
- 7.3 g
- Diameter
- 28 mm
- Thickness
- 1.8 mm
2012 – present · Round, bimetallic
- Composition
- outer ring – multi-ply nickel plated steel, insert – multi-ply brass plated aluminum bronze
- Weight
- 6.92 g
- Diameter
- 28 mm
- Thickness
- 1.75 mm
Official annual production catalog
Annual rows are denomination totals filtered to this requested era. They may combine portraits, commemorative reverses, or parallel formats and are not presented as portrait-only production. The 2023 transition can include more than one royal effigy; annual totals are not portrait-specific.
| Year | Design context | Technical standard | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 11,244,000 |
| 2004 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 12,908,000 |
| 2005 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 38,317,000 |
| 2006 | Polar-bear anniversary versions | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 35,319,000 |
| 2007 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 38,957,000 |
| 2008 | Traditional bear and Quebec City 400 | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 18,400,000 |
| 2009 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 38,430,000 |
| 2010 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 8,220,000 |
| 2011 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g | 27,488,000 |
| 2012 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 7.3 g / 28 mm · 6.92 g | 89,185,000 |
| 2013 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 12,390,000 |
| 2014 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 16,305,000 |
| 2015 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 30,378,500 |
| 2016 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 65,264,000 |
| 2017 | Canada 150 | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 10,000,000 |
| 2018 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 26,730,000 |
| 2019 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 25,995,000 |
| 2020 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 17,235,000 |
| 2021 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 24,875,000 |
| 2022 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 20,580,000 |
| 2023 | Bimetallic polar-bear two-dollar family | 28 mm · 6.92 g | 1,045,000 |
Collecting paths and checklist
Use the page first as a type or era checklist, then verify each dated issue independently before extending the set. Cleaned surfaces, plated-metal disturbance, patterns, special finishes, and commemorative reverses require separate treatment; catalog context is not an appraisal or investment promise.
- One-coin type study — Choose one representative that clearly shows the principal obverse and reverse, then learn the type boundary.
- Design and technical generations — Add a generation only when sources confirm a change in composition, shape, size, edge, or principal design.
- Source-backed date study — Expand into dates or varieties only after issue identity, specifications, and production evidence are verified field by field.
Collector checklist
- Do not clean the coin; cleaning changes surfaces and can obscure evidence.
- Compare date, portrait, design, edge, weight, diameter, and metal response together.
- Have consequential or high-value attributions reviewed by an appropriate specialist or certification service.
- Catalog information is research context, not an appraisal, offer, or investment guarantee.
Data scope
This page publishes reviewed denomination- and major-type-level evidence. Years not published by the Mint remain unknown, zero appears only when the source reports zero, and prices or survivor estimates are not inferred from production.
Sources
- 2 dollarsRoyal Canadian Mint
The 1996 introduction, polar-bear design, and 2012 security and composition changes.
- Currency ActJustice Laws Website, Government of Canada
The Canadian dollar, cent relationship, current-coin definition, and legal-tender limits.
- Faces of the MonarchRoyal Canadian Mint
Canadian coin obverse portrait chronology through Charles III.