You Can Get Canada's New Green $2 Coin By Trading In Your Old Unused Coins & Bills

Following the launch of a new colourful toonie, the Royal Canadian Mint is hosting exchanges so people can get their hands on the coin instead of waiting for it to show up in their change.

That means you can trade in your boring old coins and bills for the new coin that's green with splashes of red, orange, white and black!

It was announced on July 19 that the Royal Canadian Mint is inviting people to stop by its boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg to collect the new $2 coin celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.

There will be a limit on the number of coins that people can exchange, the Mint said, and you can make trades while supplies of the toonies last.

Coin exchanges are cash-only transactions and any Canadian circulation coin or banknote denomination is acceptable.

That means you can trade in old dimes, nickels, quarters, loonies or toonies that you have in your wallet and get the new coins!*

The Mint told Narcity that coin swaps are equivalent value exchanges, with any combination of coins or bank notes adding up to $2 allowed for exchange.

So, you can round up eight quarters or two loonies or one toonie — and so on — you don't use anymore and trade them in for the toonie.

Also, there is no admission fee to participate in this coin exchange event.

Canada's new toonie is meant to honour the "rich and diverse cultural heritages" of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, according to the Royal Canadian Mint.

This $2 coin marks the first time that three artists have collaborated on a design for a Canadian circulation coin.

It features three unique and colourful designs that have red, orange, white and black hues to represent First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and communities.

The designs include the midnight sun, an inuksuk, the phases of the moon, and Métis symbols like the Infinite flag and the five-petalled flower known as the Wild Rose.

Along with the red, orange, white and black designs on the new Canadian coin, the inner core of the toonie is green instead of gold and surrounded by a silver outer band.

When the new coin was revealed, the Mint said that three million $2 coins featuring the new design had been minted.

Two million of those have the colourful green, red, orange, white and black design, and one million have the new design but in the toonie's classic silver and gold colours.

If you haven't found the new toonie in your change yet, whether it be a colourful one or a classic silver and gold one, you can trade in your old coins or bills to get the colourful $2 coin.

The Royal Canadian Mint Boutique in Ottawa is located at 320 Sussex Drive.

Coin exchanges at the Ottawa location will be happening on Thursday, July 20, Friday, July 21, Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time.

Winnipeg's Royal Canadian Mint Boutique is located at 520 Lagimodière Boulevard.

You can participate in the coin exchanges that are happening on Thursday, July 20, Friday, July 21, Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time.

It was revealed earlier this year that the federal government has now tasked the Royal Canadian Mint with designing and putting an effigy of King Charles III on all new coins.

Also, the Bank of Canada will replace the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the $20 bill with a portrait of King Charles in the next design process for Canada's money.

*This article has been updated.