Canada’s special two-dollar coin (“toonie”) features two canoeists paddling under the glow of aurora borealis, rendered vivid in green and blue. The coin glows in the dark due to the use of a special ink containing an luminescent material. The Royal Canadian Mint says it is the world’s first glow-in-the-dark bimetallic coin in general circulation.
Aurora borealis (Northern lights)
The Aurora is an incredible light show caused by collisions between electrically charged particles released from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere and collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen.
According to CBC News, the toonie was designed by two British Columbia-based brothers, Stephen and Timothy Hsia, who won the coin’s design contest late last year. The design is named “Dance of the Spirits.”
Not only is the coin brightly colored during the daytime; when the coin is put in the dark, the aurora borealis glows softly. According to Alex Reeves, from the Royal Minit, who spoke with The Guardian: “Only the core of the $2 coin is colored and the glow effect makes the aurora borealis part of the design look lifelike.”
The toonie
The Canadian two-dollar coin, commonly called the toonie, is the most valuable of the frequently used Canadian coins. It was introduced on February 19, 1996. The coin is manufactured using a patented distinctive bimetallic coin-locking mechanism.
As to the chances of getting one of the special coins, the rate of circulation of the new coin with the standard two-dollar coin is 1 in every 100.
