2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie
The 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie is a circulating loonie. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2021
- Circulation mintage
- Not published
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Jori van der Linde
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 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie worth?
the 2021 Klondike Gold Rush 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 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie rare?
- No. It was made in large numbers, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie coins were made?
- The Royal Canadian Mint has not published a circulation figure in our source.
- Who designed the 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie?
- The design is credited to Jori van der Linde.
- What is the 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie made of?
- Multi-ply plated steel. It weighs 6.27 g and measures 26.5 mm, with an 11-sided shape.
- Is the 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie still legal tender?
- Yes. Every loonie, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Canada.
Why the 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie was made
In August 1896 gold was found on Rabbit Creek in the Yukon, a stream soon renamed Bonanza Creek. The discovery set off the Klondike Gold Rush and over the next couple of years tens of thousands of people set out for the Yukon. Dawson City grew almost overnight into a busy town. In 2021 the Royal Canadian Mint issued a loonie for the 125th anniversary. Prospectors had to haul large loads of supplies over mountain passes such as the Chilkoot. Many arrived only to find the best claims already taken.
The coin takes care to show who actually made the discovery. Alongside George Carmack it shows Keish (Skookum Jim Mason), Shaaw Tlàa (Kate Carmack) and Kàa Goox (Dawson Charlie), all of Lingít and Tagish descent. It also honors the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, whose land the rush overran. The loonie was released into circulation, but no circulation mintage figure was published. That makes it hard to compare with older loonies, so judge it on its own merits. Giving equal place to the Indigenous members of the party reflects a wider effort to tell the story more fully.
How to recognize it
Jori van der Linde's reverse shows the four prospectors panning for gold at the edge of Gàh Dek, Rabbit Creek or Bonanza Creek, under a shining sun. On the opposite bank is the pictorial symbol for Ëdhä Dädhëchą, the Moosehide Slide, which represents the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in and their connection to the land. On colored coins that symbol is highlighted in red and white. To confirm the issue, look for the figures at the creek and the date 2021. The obverse still shows Queen Elizabeth II in Susanna Blunt's design. It is a crowded scene, so a magnifier helps you count all four figures on a worn coin.
2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie by the numbers
The Royal Canadian Mint has not published a circulation figure for the 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie in our source, so it cannot be ranked against other loonies yet.
What to check on your 2021 Klondike Gold Rush Loonie
- Confirm the design and date: the Klondike Gold Rush reverse dated 2021. 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.
No circulation mintage was published, so there is no official number to compare. Worn coins found in change are face value. The design exists in a plain version and a colored version, with the Moosehide Slide symbol in red and white, so check which one you have. Color wears off with handling and a coin with intact color is the better piece to keep. Uncirculated examples can carry a small premium. Coins still in their original card or holder came from a collector product, not from your change.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2021 |
| Circulation mintage | Not published |
| Composition | Multi-ply plated steel |
| Weight | 6.27 g |
| Diameter | 26.5 mm |
| Shape | 11-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Jori van der Linde |
Frequently asked questions
Who is on the Klondike Gold Rush loonie?
It shows Keish (Skookum Jim Mason), Shaaw Tlàa (Kate Carmack), Kàa Goox (Dawson Charlie) and George Carmack panning at Bonanza Creek, where gold was found in 1896. Jori van der Linde designed it.
Why is there red and white on some Klondike loonies?
On colored coins, the symbol for Ëdhä Dädhëchą, the Moosehide Slide, is highlighted in red and white. It represents the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in. Plain coins show the same symbol without color.
Mintage figures: Loonie (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.