The Canadian $2 bill featured Queen Elisabeth II, Ottawa library, the Peace Tower with the Canadian Maple Leaf above and Parliament Buildings, north side, Center Block, on one side, and a pair of robins in a meadow on the back. The overall color of the bill is a dark terracotta, with a rainbow pattern in pastel colors.
- First and Last Issue of the $2 Bill
The bill was part of the series Birds of Canada, issued on September 2, 1986, the most recent series to include the $2 bill. As a result of the $1 bill being withdrawn, this $2 bill was widely circulated. Noted for often being used as the only currency visible in The Kids in the Hall, a TV show, usually to some humorous effect or another, it was last issued on February 16, 1996. It was replaced February 18, 1996 by the Toonie, a $2 coin so called in reference to the $1 coin, which used to be known as the Loonie.
- Missing Bills Mystery
It appears that many of these bills are being kept by collectors and many others, for whatever reason, because although they are now virtually never seen anywhere in general circulation, by 2006, a staggering total of 109,271,483 bills had failed to return to the Canadian Bank. That figure is higher than the total of $10 bills in circulation.
- The Current Value of the Bill
Unfortunately, these figures suggest that this bill is worth little more than its face value, if that. With so many of these bills floating around out there, it is highly unlikely that anyone would be prepared to pay a lot for it. Still, those birds are quite pretty, so it's worth hanging on to, especially if it happens to be in a reasonably good condition.
