2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie
The 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie is a circulating toonie with 4.31 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2022
- Circulation mintage
- 4,305,025
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Brent Townsend
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie worth?
4.31 million were made, so the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition
- Colored versions from collector packs
- Specimen or proof finish from a Mint set
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie rare?
- No. 4.31 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie coins were made?
- 4,305,025 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie?
- The design is credited to Brent Townsend.
- What is the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie made of?
- Bimetallic multi-ply plated steel. It weighs 6.92 g and measures 28 mm.
- Is the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie still legal tender?
- Yes. Every toonie, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Canada.
Why the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie was made
Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, after a reign of more than 70 years that began on February 6, 1952. She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history and her portrait had appeared on Canadian coins since 1953, so for most Canadians she was the only monarch they had ever seen on their money. Her death brought a long chapter in Canadian coinage to a close and the Mint began preparing coins with the portrait of King Charles III.
The Royal Canadian Mint responded later that year with a toonie unlike any before it. Rather than create a new reverse, the Mint kept Brent Townsend's familiar polar bear and changed the color of the outer ring from silver to black, like a mourning band. It was a simple idea that made an ordinary coin instantly recognizable as something different. The black ring toonie was released into circulation and the Mint struck 4,305,025, the lowest published figure among the commemorative toonies in this group. Once it began appearing in change, many people kept the first one they found.
How to recognize it
The reverse is Brent Townsend's polar bear on an ice floe, exactly as on the regular toonie. The difference is the outer ring, which is black instead of silver. The color is not paint: it comes from black nickel, a finish applied at the Mint, which gives the ring an even dark tone. That makes the coin simple to identify. If the ring is black all the way round and the core shows the usual bear, you have the commemorative. The obverse carries the Queen's portrait. A ring that looks scratched, blotchy or painted deserves a second look, since the genuine finish is smooth and uniform.
2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie by the numbers
In mintage terms the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie is the lowest of 13 circulating toonies with a published mintage. The next more common is the 2011 Boreal Forest Toonie (5 million).
It was released in 2022 alongside 1 other circulating toonie design.
What to check on your 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie
- Confirm the design: the Queen Elizabeth II reverse dated 2022, in a silver-colored ring with a gold-colored center.
- Check whether it has added color. Colored toonies came from collector products or special circulation releases; keep them out of rough handling.
- Look at the join between ring and core. It should be tight and even; a loose or damaged core is damage, not a rarity.
- Specimen and proof toonies from Mint sets have satin or mirror finishes that circulation coins never have.
The circulation mintage of 4,305,025 is the lowest published figure among these commemorative toonies, though it is still millions of coins. Circulated examples are face value or close to it. Interest is strongest in coins where the black ring is clean and unworn, since contact with other coins can scuff the finish down to lighter metal at the high points. A coin with a full, even black ring and a bright core can carry a small premium. Plenty still turn up in change, so a worn one is a pleasant find rather than a valuable one.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 dollars |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2022 |
| Circulation mintage | 4,305,025 |
| Composition | Bimetallic multi-ply plated steel |
| Weight | 6.92 g |
| Diameter | 28 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Intermittent milling |
| Designer | Brent Townsend |
Other 2022 toonies
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Summit Series Toonie | – | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why does the 2022 toonie have a black ring?
It marks the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. The black outer ring is meant to look like a mourning band. The color comes from black nickel and the core keeps the usual polar bear by Brent Townsend.
How many black ring toonies were made?
The Mint struck 4,305,025 for circulation. That is the lowest published mintage among Canada's commemorative toonies, but it still means millions of coins, so circulated examples are common and stay close to face value.
Mintage figures: Toonie (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.