How well do you know what a real Canadian toonie looks like?
That’s the question Ontario Provincial Police Western Region asked on Monday when it posted a photo of a fake Toonie next to a real one to test whether people could tell the fake one apart.
“Spot the Difference! A member of the public called #BrantOPP to advise about fake toonies. Now it’s your turn to spot the fakes!” the police department wrote.
Find the difference!A public person called #BluntOPP To give you some advice on fake toonies, it’s your turn to spot a fake! Can you tell which ones are fake? Stay informed and protect yourself from scams! #Fraud Prevention Month^jb pic.twitter.com/L8EXHwU85F
β OPP West Region (@OPP_WR) March 11, 2024
The toonie on the left shows a polar bear with slightly less detail than the one on the right.
The obverse of the coin on the left also includes a slightly smaller image of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a crown. That lettering also looks closer than the Toonie on the right.
The post received several replies and led social media users to speculate which coins were fake.
Many people speculated that the coin on the right was not real.
top right, bottom right
β Chris Sielzputowski π¨π¦ (@CskiChris) March 11, 2024
two people on the right
β Tracy Tackaberry (@tlm24girl) March 12, 2024
what fits
β Marcia Wiggins (@Lmlfml3) March 12, 2024
One commenter joked that Toonie on the right was suspicious because “polar bears look weird and Danny DeVito was never our queen.”
Polar bears look weird and Danny DeVito was never our queen, so I think it’s on the right side.
β Arpad Corba (@arpad_csorba) March 11, 2024
Another person noted that the polar bear on the right looked suspicious because it appeared to have “hooves instead of legs.”
The polar bear on the right has hooves instead of legs.
β Stanley βΌπ¬ (@Mr_Kubrick) March 12, 2024
So which toonie is a fake coin?
OPP didn’t provide an answer, but the clue lies in the polar bear’s paw.
according to BWJM.ca β Website Documenting False Toonie β A common indicator of a false toonie is the βcamel toeβ of a polar bear.
OPP/X
“The counterfeit coin, soon to be known as ‘Camel to Toonies’, was introduced to the world on July 8, 2020 via Reddit and the Coin Community Forum,” the website states.
BWJM.ca/Screenshot
βCoin collectors in the Greater Toronto Area posted that they have been finding high-quality counterfeit toonies intermittently since March of that year.β
The website added that Camel to Toonie is “the second largest counterfeit Toonie series since 1996.”
An OPP spokesperson confirmed in an email to Daily Hive that the toonie on the left is a real coin.
RCMP previously warned Canadians in 2022 that these fake toonies may be in circulation and that the coins originally came from China.
