Canada is getting a new coin and the Royal Canadian Mint's new toonie is almost all black instead of the usual silver and gold!

On December 7, 2022, the Royal Canadian Mint announced that it has issued a new $2 circulation coin to honour Queen Elizabeth II's service to Canada during her 70-year reign as monarch.

The new toonie has all the classic design elements of a standard $2 coin — including the queen's effigy, her name, D.G. Regina, the year it was minted and the gold core — but it features a black outer ring.

It's meant to be reminiscent of a mourning armband.

On the core of the reverse side of the coin, the traditional polar bear design is still there but surrounded by the black outer ring.

According to the Mint, almost five million new coins will go into circulation in December and then begin appearing gradually as banks restock their $2 coin inventories.

It's possible that even more black and gold toonies could be produced if there is demand for them.

Since 1953, four different portraits of Queen Elizabeth II have been on the obverse side of all Canadian circulation coins.

After the queen's death on September 8, 2022, the Mint said that it was working with the federal government to "transition" Canadian coins and comply with "royal succession protocols."

The Mint told Narcity that any future designs of Canadian coins are the "exclusive jurisdiction" of the federal government, so it will "abide by the decision and timetable" from the federal government.

In the U.K., coins featuring King Charles III began circulating in December, which have the new monarch's effigy, his name, the year and D.G. Rex on them.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.