Where the loonie came from
The dollar coin replaced Canada's one-dollar note in 1987. A voyageur canoe design was planned, but the master dies went missing in transit, so the Mint switched to Carmichael's loon. The bird stuck. So did the nickname.
Early loonies are bronze-plated nickel. Since 2012 they've been made of plated steel, so newer ones stick to a magnet. The two-dollar toonie followed in 1996 with a polar bear on the reverse.
The loon dollar and its circulating commemoratives
Specimen set loonies
| Year | Design | Artist | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 10th anniversary of the loonie | Jean-Luc Grondin | 97,595 |
| 2002 | 15th anniversary of the loonie | Dora de Pédery-Hunt | 67,672 |
| 2004 | Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary | Susan Taylor | 46,493 |
| 2005 | Tufted puffin | Mark Hobson | 39,818 |
| 2006 | Snowy owl | Glen Loates | 39,935 |
| 2007 | Trumpeter swan | Kerri Burnett | 40,000 |
| 2008 | Common eider | Mark Hobson | 40,000 |
| 2009 | Great blue heron | Chris Jordison | 40,000 |
| 2010 | Northern harrier | Arnold Nogy | 35,000 |
| 2011 | Great grey owl | Arnold Nogy | 35,000 |
| 2012 | 25th anniversary of the loonie | Arnold Nogy | 35,000 |
| 2013 | Blue-winged teal | Glen Loates | 50,000 |
| 2014 | Ferruginous hawk | Trevor Tennant | 50,000 |
| 2015 | Blue jay | Brent Townsend | 30,000 |
| 2016 | Tundra swan | Glen Scrimshaw | 30,000 |
| 2017 | Snow goose | Pierre Girard | 30,000 |
| 2018 | Burrowing owl | Pierre Girard | 30,000 |
| 2019 | Pileated woodpecker | Jean-Charles Daumas | 30,000 |
| 2020 | Black-footed ferret | Caitlin Lindstrom-Milne | 25,000 |
| 2021 | Blanding's turtle | Pierre Girard | 30,000 |
| 2022 | Swift fox | Claude Thivierge | 30,000 |
| 2023 | Greater sage-grouse | David Caesar | 30,000 |
| 2024 | Northern leopard frog | Julius Csotonyi | 30,000 |
| 2025 | Monarch butterfly | Julius Csotonyi | 30,000 |
Sold only in specimen sets, never in circulation.
Commemorative loonies
The first commemorative came in 1992 for the 125th anniversary of Confederation, showing children and the Parliament Building. That year the regular loon also carried the double date 1867 and 1992. The 2017 Connecting a Nation coin marked the 150th anniversary in turn. Highlights since then:
- 1994 Remembrance and 1995 Peacekeeping
- 2005 Terry Fox, the first Canadian citizen on a circulating Canadian coin
- 2009 Montreal Canadiens and 2017 Toronto Maple Leafs
- 2010 Navy Centennial and Saskatchewan Roughriders
- 2016 Women's Right to Vote and 2019 Equality
- Recent themes such as Oscar Peterson, Elsie MacGill, L. M. Montgomery and the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Lucky loonies
The idea comes from the 2002 Winter Olympics, when an ice maker buried a loonie under center ice and both Canadian hockey teams won gold. The Mint turned the story into a coin. Seven circulating lucky loonies followed, one for each Games from Athens 2004 to Rio 2016.
Mintages range from 10,851,000 for Beijing 2008 down to 4,033,000 for Sochi 2014, the scarcest of the series. The 2010 Vancouver coin includes the inukshuk emblem of those Games, while the 2012 London coin adds a laser-etched maple leaf beside the loon and the Olympic rings.
Specimen set loonies
Since 1997 the Mint has also put special loonie designs in its annual specimen sets, mostly birds and wildlife: a snowy owl, a blue jay, a monarch butterfly and many more. They were made in tens of thousands, not millions. Sold only in sets, they won't turn up in change. Alongside the wildlife there are anniversary loons for the coin's 10th, 15th and 25th birthdays.
First strikes and other packaged loonies
The Mint has also sold some circulation designs as first strikes, packaged from the first coins off the press. Mintages for these are small: 1,944 for the 2005 common loon, 19,949 for Terry Fox, 20,010 for the 2006 lucky loonie and 15,000 for the first loonie with King Charles III in 2023. A 2006 first strike marked the arrival of the new Mint logo, with 5,000 made.
Out of its packaging, a first strike looks like any other loonie of the same date, so the value lies in the original holder. Don't open one if you have it.
Which loonies to keep
Pull these from change when you see them. In circulated condition they're close to face value; sharp, unmarked examples can bring a small premium. Keep any lucky loonie you find too, since the run of seven makes a satisfying set to build from change.
- 2019 Equality: 3,000,000
- 2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders: 3,100,000
- 2014 Lucky Loonie: 4,033,000
- 2012 Lucky Loonie and 2012 100th Grey Cup: 5,000,000 each
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called a loonie?
Because of the common loon on the reverse. The name caught on so well that the two-dollar coin became the toonie.
What is a lucky loonie?
A commemorative loonie issued for an Olympic Games, inspired by the loonie buried at center ice during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
What's the rarest circulating loonie?
Among those with published mintages, the 2019 Equality coin at 3,000,000, just ahead of the 2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders at 3,100,000.
Why does your loonie stick to a magnet?
Loonies made since 2012 are plated steel. Older ones are bronze-plated nickel. Both are normal.
Are 1987 loonies valuable?
No. The first year was made in large numbers for circulation and trades at face value unless it's in pristine condition.
How many Peacekeeping loonies were made in 1995?
There's no separate figure. The published total of 41,813,100 combines the regular loon and the Peacekeeping commemorative for that year.
Mintage figures from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint, Royal Canadian Mint and Royal Australian Mint figures. Sources.