The Royal Canadian Mint is issuing a new two black ringed dollars in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Mint says the coin’s black outer ring is meant to evoke a “mourning armband” to honor the Queen, who died in September after 70 years on the throne.
The Mint has said it will begin circulating nearly five million coins this month, and they will appear gradually as banks replenish their stocks.
Aside from the black ring, the coin retains the same design elements as the standard two-dollar coin.
Four different images of the Queen have graced Canadian coins since 1953, when she was crowned.
The center of the commemorative coin will feature the same portrait of the Queen that has been in circulation since 2003, with a polar bear design on the other side.
“Queen Elizabeth II reigned as Canada’s head of state for seven decades and served as the sole monarch for the majority of the Canadian population,” Marie Lemay, president and chief executive officer, wrote in a statement. Royal Canadian Mint.
“Our special $2 circulation coin gives Canadians a way to keep his memory alive.”
The mint says it could produce more coins, depending on what it calls “market needs.”
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