2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie
The 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie is a circulating loonie with 5 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2012
- Circulation mintage
- 5,000,000
- 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 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie worth?
5 million were made, so the 2012 100th Grey Cup 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 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie rare?
- No. 5 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie coins were made?
- 5,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie?
- The design is credited to RCM Staff.
- What is the 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie made of?
- Multi-ply plated steel. It weighs 6.27 g and measures 26.5 mm, with an 11-sided shape.
- Is the 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie still legal tender?
- Yes. Every loonie, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Canada.
Why the 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie was made
The Grey Cup is the championship trophy of Canadian football, first awarded in 1909 and named for the Governor General who donated it. In November 2012 the 100th Grey Cup game was played in Toronto, where the Toronto Argonauts beat the Calgary Stampeders. It was a landmark for a trophy that has been part of Canadian life for more than a century, through wars, rule changes and the formation of the modern league. Celebrating players have broken it more than once over the years. Each time it was repaired and returned to service.
The Royal Canadian Mint issued a loonie for the occasion and released it into circulation. Five million were struck, the same figure as the London lucky loonie of the same year, so two commemorative loonies were turning up in change during 2012. It also continued the sports theme that began with the Canadiens and Roughriders coins. For football fans it is the natural companion to the Roughriders loonie and the two often end up side by side in a collection. It is one of only a handful of loonies tied to football.
How to recognize it
The reverse, credited to Royal Canadian Mint staff, shows the Grey Cup trophy itself with 100th Grey Cup written in English and French. That bilingual inscription is the quickest way to confirm the coin, along with the date 2012. The tall trophy fills the center of the design, making it simple to pick out from a handful of loonies. If you see the trophy and the 100th wording, you have it. The obverse carries Susanna Blunt's portrait of the Queen, as on other loonies of the period. The inscription is small, so a magnifier helps you read it on a worn coin.
2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie ranks 6th lowest of 19 circulating loonies with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2012 Lucky Loonie Loonie (5 million); the next more common is the 2016 Women's Right to Vote Loonie (5 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1992 Confederation 125 Loonie with 23 million, about 4.6 times as many. The scarcest is the 2019 Equality Loonie with 3 million, 1.7 times fewer than this one.
It shared 2012 with 1 other circulating loonie design: the Lucky Loonie (5 million). The 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie was the scarcest of the year.
What to check on your 2012 100th Grey Cup Loonie
- Confirm the design and date: the 100th Grey Cup reverse dated 2012. 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.
With 5,000,000 made for circulation, the Grey Cup loonie is a moderate mintage coin and circulated pieces are face value. The trophy's polished curves and fine engraving show wear quickly, so a coin with clean detail on the cup stands out. Uncirculated examples can bring a small premium from collectors assembling a run of commemoratives. If yours came in a card or sealed holder, it came from a collector product rather than change. Loose coins with nicks on the trophy are the ones that went through circulation.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2012 |
| Circulation mintage | 5,000,000 |
| Composition | Multi-ply plated steel |
| Weight | 6.27 g |
| Diameter | 26.5 mm |
| Shape | 11-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | RCM Staff |
Other 2012 loonies
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 Lucky Loonie Loonie | 5,000,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
What does the 2012 Grey Cup loonie say?
It carries the words 100th Grey Cup in English and French around a picture of the trophy. The coin marks the 100th Grey Cup game, played in Toronto in November 2012.
Is the Grey Cup loonie worth keeping?
Circulated coins are face value, since 5,000,000 were made. It is still a good one to set aside for a collection and sharp uncirculated examples can earn a small premium from football fans and loonie collectors.
Mintage figures: Loonie (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.