County connection with new CN Tower commemorative coin

Carl Wiens told his social media followers he started the project a year ago, and was honored to launch the coin with the Royal Canadian Mint.

There’s a local connection to the Royal Canadian Mint’s new glow-in-the-dark commemorative $2 circulation coin you might receive in your change.

The coin celebrating the world-famous landmark, the CN Tower was designed by Carl Wiens, whose illustration work and workshops are well-known throughout Prince Edward County while he and his family lived in Picton. Wiens now calls Belleville home, but continues to show his work at several County galleries.

The coin’s reverse shows the Toronto skyline—past, present, and aglow at night, and is defined by Canada’s National Tower.

On June 26, 1976, the Canadian National (CN) Tower opened its doors to the public for the first time. Ever since, this iconic addition to the Toronto skyline, now owned and operated by Canada Lands Company, has firmly rooted itself as a symbol of Canadian innovation.

“I’m old enough to remember the construction of the CN Tower,” Wiens said. “I’m still impressed with the design and durability of it all. My intent [for the coin design] was to create a visual tribute that showcased the CN Tower within a growing and changing city.

“I loved working with glow-in-the-dark ink in the design, because the tower shines like a beacon at night, brightly lit in different hues and colours. I also incorporated blue tones to reflect Toronto’s [sport] franchises.”

For those who want to make the coloured CN Tower coin glow: Expose the coin to natural light or hold it under an ultraviolet light source like a UV flashlight (your phone flashlight won’t do the trick), turn off the lights, and watch your coin glow to life!

Before it was a feat of construction, the CN Tower was a feat of imagination. What started as a solution to a telecommunications challenge turned into a triumph of engineering and a modern architectural wonder. The CN Tower was the world’s tallest freestanding structure from its completion in 1975 until 2007, and it remains the tallest in the western hemisphere. It stands at 553.33 m in total height, including its 103.33 m steel antenna mast. At 446.532 m, the top is the highest observation platform in the western hemisphere, and visitors can see up to 160 km away on a clear day.

The city’s skyline is reflected in Lake Ontario’s blue waters. In black is the city’s skyline as it appeared in 1976, standing in the shadow of today’s taller skyscrapers in darker blue. Representing five decades of growth and architectural evolution, the 1976 skyline appears on the left and the 2026 cityscape appears on the right of the outer ring.