2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie
The 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie is a circulating loonie with 10.3 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2010
- Circulation mintage
- 10,250,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- RCM Staff
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie worth?
10.3 million were made, so the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition
- Specimen or proof finish from a Mint set
- Colored versions sold in collector packs
- A genuine mint error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie rare?
- No. 10.3 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie coins were made?
- 10,250,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie?
- The design is credited to RCM Staff.
- What is the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie made of?
- Nickel plated with aureate bronze. It weighs 7.0 g and measures 26.5 mm, with an 11-sided shape.
- Is the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie still legal tender?
- Yes. Every loonie, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Canada.
Why the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie was made
The 2010 lucky loonie had a special job: Canada was hosting the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Royal Canadian Mint issued it as the fourth lucky loonie and released it into circulation, joining a run of Olympic quarters that the Mint had been issuing in the lead up to the Games. With the home crowd behind them, Canadian athletes won 14 gold medals, a record for a Winter Games at the time. The Games ran in February 2010, with events in Vancouver and Whistler. It was the second time Canada had hosted the Winter Olympics, after Calgary in 1988.
The men's hockey final against the United States ended with an overtime goal from Sidney Crosby, a moment that gave the lucky loonie legend another boost. A total of 10,250,000 coins were struck for circulation, putting it among the three most plentiful lucky loonies alongside 2006 and 2008. For many Canadians this is the lucky loonie with the strongest personal memory attached, because the Games were on home soil. It is also the most distinctive one to look at, thanks to the symbol of the Vancouver Games that appears in the design.
How to recognize it
The reverse, credited to Royal Canadian Mint staff, includes ilanaaq, the inukshuk that served as the symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympics. An inukshuk is a figure built from stacked stones, a traditional Inuit landmark and it gives this coin a look that sets it apart from the other lucky loonies. A loon sits in the design as well, keeping the series' link to the regular coin. The date 2010 confirms the issue. If you see the stacked stone figure, you have the Vancouver coin. Susanna Blunt's effigy of the Queen is on the obverse. The figure is small, so a magnifier helps on worn coins.
2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie ranks 14th lowest of 19 circulating loonies with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie (10 million); the next more common is the 2006 Lucky Loonie Loonie (10.5 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1992 Confederation 125 Loonie with 23 million, about 2.2 times as many. The scarcest is the 2019 Equality Loonie with 3 million, 3.4 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2010 with 2 other circulating loonie designs: the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3.1 million) and the Navy Centennial (7 million). The 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie was the most plentiful of the year.
What to check on your 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie
- Confirm the design and date: the Lucky Loonie reverse dated 2010. The 11-sided shape and gold color make a loonie easy to tell from other coins.
- Check whether it has added color. Colored versions come from collector packs, not from change. Keep them in their packaging.
- Look for even plating. Worn spots that show a different metal underneath are normal wear, not an error.
- Specimen and proof loonies from Mint sets have mirror or satin finishes that circulation coins never have.
At 10,250,000 struck, the Vancouver lucky loonie is a common coin and circulated examples are face value. Interest in the Vancouver Games was high, so plenty were set aside and uncirculated pieces are not hard to find. A bright one with an unmarked inukshuk can earn a small premium. If your coin carries added color or comes in an Olympic card or holder, it came from a collector product rather than change and it is best left in its packaging. Loose coins with wear are the version that circulated.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2010 |
| Circulation mintage | 10,250,000 |
| Composition | Nickel plated with aureate bronze |
| Weight | 7.0 g |
| Diameter | 26.5 mm |
| Shape | 11-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | RCM Staff |
Other 2010 loonies
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 Navy Centennial Loonie | 7,000,000 | Face value |
| 2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders Loonie | 3,100,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
What is the figure on the 2010 lucky loonie?
It is ilanaaq, the inukshuk used as the symbol of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. An inukshuk is a stone figure built by the Inuit as a landmark and it makes this lucky loonie easy to spot.
How many 2010 lucky loonies were made?
The Royal Canadian Mint struck 10,250,000 for circulation. That is one of the higher figures in the lucky loonie series, so a circulated coin is face value and only clean uncirculated pieces carry a small premium.
Mintage figures: Loonie (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.