Giant Toonie

When driving near the Canadian town of Campbellford, visitors may miss this 27-foot tall statue of the iconic silver and gold two dollar coin. The trees that surround the monument tend to obscure it from public view.

The coin was constructed in 2001 as a monument to Canadian nature artist Brent Townsend, who created the now-iconic polar bear image on the tails side of the coin. Townsend created the artwork in Campbellford, thus deeming this quiet riverside town the birthplace of the two-dollar coin. The town was proclaimed, "The Home of the Two Dollar Coin" in 1997 by the Canadian Mint. 

The giant statue isn't the first monument to the town, as the first stood just a couple feet from the giant coin. The current monument also features the queen on the other side, facing the town. The date on the coin reflects the day the monument was complete, 1996.