Recently Bought This Toonie, Can Someone Tell Me What I Have?

Is the outer part of the 'ring' attracted to a magnet?

I apeciate your opinion and all the help but in this case I dont really think the magnet test means much. Yes the outside is magnetic, and the core isn't. We've pretty much already confirmed it's not on a loonie. However as Ive said and shown the center and outside are slight different colours, if this coin was plated it would be all one colour, or the outer ring would have to have been plated before it was assembled. Also a loonie is magnetic, so if this was a toonie planchet punched from loonies stock it would still be magnetic on the outside and not the center so the magnet test really tells nothing other than it isn't on a full loonie blank. I don't know how you would just plate the outside ring. I've checked it with the microscope, there is a distinct difference between the halves, no sign thT plating crossed over onto the center or didn't reach the center. It looks like a legit toonie, just wrong color. As for the auction it was a small local auction. Several times a year they have coin auctions so I doubt they spent much money on research.

Sometimes the most simple test of a magnet will also tell the tale, since the core is not magnetic you have a plated coin, collectors in the Toronto area has access to many dealers with XRF kind of forgot of the easiest magnet test.

Looks like plating drippings along the rim above CANADA and ELIZABETH. Both sides of the normal twoonie have smooth rims.
Easiest test - scratch the edge.

Yes I noticed the rim. Still don't know how you only plate half a coin though, the center is defintly darker and the effort it would take to not get any plating on the center seems crazy.

Well, I emailed the King of the toonies (t_y. above) who actually HAS one of the few known toonies with a loonie planchet and he says no for the same reason that I did. The OP coin has a separate core that you can plainly see. Go back and look at the link that John posted above and you can see that the real ones have NO core. It's just a fully struck coin from a single planchet. "t_y." has been singled out for his toonie collection and toonie errors, as well as the lectures that he gives to the RCNA folks and gatherings. He's the guru, so believe him, since there's no better..

It is very easy to remove the core from a toonie. You see them all the time with the sides reverse. All they had to do was remove the core, plate the ring and then reassemble using heat and cold. The plating would be a slightly different color because the plating alloy didn't come from the mint. It was a neat garage or lab job.

I am highly doubtful that this is legit. I have seen high school kids make that same "error" in chemistry class. It would be easy to selectively plate the ring, look at all the aftermarket intricate selective gold plating you see on some coins.




You have to find someone to do this.




That's the biggest red flag for me.