The 11-sided coin was not originally called the loonie but the name caught on quickly due to the iconic decorative design by Robert Carmichael showcasing a single loon on one side.
It has been 30 years since its introduction by the Royal Canadian Mint and marked one of the most significant changes in Canadian currency history in half a century.
To mark this special occasion the mint has put out 10,000 collectable special edition sets cast in an almost 100% silver coin design.
Around the world the loonie is considered an innovation for its composition and integrated security features. It has been used as the basis for other countries coins.
Now if we can just get the loonie to rise back up to parity with the USD then it will be a great 30.
So when’s the twonies birthday? Personally, i think the $2 looks much more inspired than the $1.
LOL @Josh! I was in a similar situation to this a few years back. I got curious and took one of mine (i have 100x$1 bills — prior to the loonie being made public i wanted to keep several souvenirs). It seems if you are a young cashier they have no clue what it is and she had to ask her supervisor to come an inspect. At another store the older gentlemen recognized it right away and we struck up a long conversation. He accepted it.
Wow, 30 years. I feel so old 🙁
I am old enough to remember when we had $1 bills. I might even still have one tucked away. I wonder if handing a store a $1 bill will get you puzzled looks and a rejection.
People still carry money around? I haven’t carried anything but credit cards and debit cards for years.
It really amazes me that all nations don’t use coins for lower dnominations to save money. The US still uses paper for $1.