2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie
The 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie is a circulating toonie with 5 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2015
- Circulation mintage
- 5,000,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Glen Green
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie worth?
5 million were made, so the 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition
- Colored versions from collector packs
- Specimen or proof finish from a Mint set
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie rare?
- No. 5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie coins were made?
- 5,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie?
- The design is credited to Glen Green.
- What is the 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie made of?
- Bimetallic multi-ply plated steel. It weighs 6.92 g and measures 28 mm.
- Is the 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie still legal tender?
- Yes. Every toonie, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Canada.
Why the 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie was made
John A. Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on January 11, 1815. He came to Kingston in Upper Canada as a child. He trained as a lawyer, entered politics and became one of the main architects of Confederation in 1867. He then served as Canada's first prime minister, from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 until his death in office in 1891. His governments brought new provinces into the country and pushed through the railway to the Pacific, completed in 1885.
His record is also deeply contested. Policies under his governments included the residential school system, harsh treatment of Indigenous peoples on the Prairies and the head tax on Chinese immigrants. In recent years some statues of him have been removed or relocated. The Royal Canadian Mint issued this toonie for the 200th anniversary of his birth. One production detail is unusual: of the 5,000,000 coins, 2,150,000 were actually struck in 2014 even though they carry the 2015 date, with the remaining 2,850,000 made in 2015. Nothing on the coin tells you which batch yours came from.
How to recognize it
Glen Green's reverse places a portrait of Macdonald over a map of Canada in the core, linking the man directly to the country he helped assemble. In the outer ring you will find the dates 1815 and 2015, the years of his birth and of the anniversary. Those two dates are the quickest confirmation that you have this coin rather than another portrait design. The portrait itself shows Macdonald in his familiar later style, with his distinctive hair and features recognizable even when the coin is worn. On the obverse you will find Queen Elizabeth II in Susanna Blunt's portrait, the version Canadian coins used from 2003.
2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie ranks 5th lowest of 13 circulating toonies with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2014 Wait for Me, Daddy Toonie (5 million); the next more common is the 2015 In Flanders Fields Toonie (5 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2000 Path of Knowledge Toonie with 29.9 million, about 6 times as many. The scarcest is the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Toonie with 4.31 million.
It shared 2015 with 1 other circulating toonie design: the In Flanders Fields (5 million). The 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie was the scarcest of the year.
What to check on your 2015 John A. Macdonald Toonie
- Confirm the design: the John A. Macdonald reverse dated 2015, in a silver-colored ring with a gold-colored center.
- Check whether it has added color. Colored toonies came from collector products or special circulation releases; keep them out of rough handling.
- Look at the join between ring and core. It should be tight and even; a loose or damaged core is damage, not a rarity.
- Specimen and proof toonies from Mint sets have satin or mirror finishes that circulation coins never have.
With 5,000,000 struck for circulation, the Macdonald toonie is a common coin and circulated examples are face value. The split production across 2014 and 2015 is a nice piece of trivia, but it did not create two collectible versions, because every coin carries the same date and design. Condition is what matters. Check the face and the map outline for wear and the ring for knocks. A coin with full luster and a clean portrait can earn a small premium from set builders. Worn or scratched coins remain ordinary change.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 2 dollars |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2015 |
| Circulation mintage | 5,000,000 |
| Composition | Bimetallic multi-ply plated steel |
| Weight | 6.92 g |
| Diameter | 28 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Intermittent milling |
| Designer | Glen Green |
Other 2015 toonies
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 In Flanders Fields Toonie | 5,000,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Were some John A. Macdonald toonies made in 2014?
Yes. According to the Mint's figures, 2,150,000 were struck in 2014 and 2,850,000 in 2015, all dated 2015. The coins are identical, so there is no way to tell which year a particular coin was made.
What dates are on the John A. Macdonald toonie?
The outer ring shows 1815 and 2015, marking 200 years since Macdonald's birth in Glasgow. The core shows Glen Green's portrait of Canada's first prime minister over a map of the country.
Mintage figures: Toonie (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.