"Z Dollard" Toonies

In January 2022, Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) in Hawkesbury, Ontario, issued a press release warning of some fake toonies featuring a "strange-looking figurehead" and a "bizarre typo". According to police, some of these fake toonies were spent at a store in Hawkesbury on January 11. Several fake coins were seized in the investigation and the perpetrators remain at large.

Read more about this report on our Media and Links page.

These counterfeit toonies are nicknamed "Z Dollard Toonies", after the inscription on the reverse instead of the usual "2 Dollars" denomination. It is not believed that these fakes exist in any significant quantity nor are they believed to be widespread. While still counterfeit coins, they are possibly intended to be novelty pieces rather than produced with the intention of being passed as legitimate coins.

Identifying Z Dollard Toonies

• One year: 1990. These coins are dated six years prior to the introduction of legitimate toonies in 1996.
• Reverse features a walrus instead of a polar bear
• Reverse legend reads "Z DOLLARD" instead of "2 DOLLARS"
• Obverse portrait is an older male figure, not Queen Elizabeth II
• Obverse legend has two typos: "P•G" and "I-I"
• Maple leaf is poorly defined
• Generally the coins feature a shiny lustre on the outer ring