A Tale of Two Designs: How Canada’s 1-dollar Coin Became the Loonie
- Jul 21, 2022
- Learn
- 6 minute read
Affectionately dubbed the “Loonie," Canada's one-dollar circulation coin has become a cherished national symbol since its 1987 debut. The coin’s scene, one that is familiar across the Canadian Shield, is of a common loon floating past an island on a calm lake.
Now picture the loon swimming away as a canoe, carrying two people from Canada’s early history, swiftly passes by. While iconic in its own right, this scene of a voyageur and an Indigenous guide paddling through Canadian waters is (or was intended to be) the one-dollar coin’s original design.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Canada’s golden-hued circulation coin, we revisit the story of the Voyageur design and explore the many commemorative designs that the Loonie has featured since its arrival.
The original "Loonie". Canada's one-dollar circulation made its debut in 1987.
Affectionately dubbed the “Loonie," Canada's one-dollar circulation coin has become a cherished national symbol since its 1987 debut. The coin’s scene, one that is familiar across the Canadian Shield, is of a common loon floating past an island on a calm lake.
Now picture the loon swimming away as a canoe, carrying two people from Canada’s early history, swiftly passes by. While iconic in its own right, this scene of a voyageur and an Indigenous guide paddling through Canadian waters is (or was intended to be) the one-dollar coin’s original design.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Canada’s golden-hued circulation coin, we revisit the story of the Voyageur design and explore the many commemorative designs that the Loonie has featured since its arrival.
Not a New Idea: We Already Had a Coin
Canada first circulated a dollar coin in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty King George V. Designed by Canadian sculptor, Emanuel Hanh, this first-ever one-dollar coin was made of silver. Its reverse design, known as the ‘Voyageur,’ portrayed a romantic vision of Canada’s early history and its reputation as an untamed frontier during the fur trade. While some 116 million Voyageur dollars were minted over the next 52-years (1935-1987), the coin was not the only dollar available during that time.
A government-issued one-dollar bank note had already been circulating since 1870. Sadly, and much like the penny and two-dollar bank note in later years, the decision to withdraw it from circulation was made due to excessive production costs.
By the early 1980s, the lifespan of a one-dollar bank note was estimated to be nine to 12 months, while its coin counterpart could surpass 20 years. In the end, removing the bank note made cents.
Did you know that between 1987-1989, both the Loonie and one-dollar bank note could be found in the pockets of Canadians.
Countdown to Takeoff: The Lead-up to Launch
Behind-the-scenes, nearly a decade of planning and consultation with key interest groups such as the Canadian Council for the Blind, the Canadian Automatic Merchandising Association and the Canadian Urban Transit Association took place. With those talks over, the Voyageur design was set to appear on a dollar coin that was convenient, cost-effective and appealing.
The new Voyageur dollar was set to arrive in January of 1987. It would be 11-sided, gold in colour and slightly larger than the 25-cent coin.
We all know that coin never made it into circulation or else it would be jingling in our pockets today. But, do we all know why?
Here is a glance at how a common loon found a permanent place on Canada’s one-dollar coin and became the only Canadian dollar found in circulation today.
Early 1985: Government recommends the issuance of a new one-dollar coin and the phasing out of the bank note over a three-year period.
Early 1986: Preparations for production of the new coin and work on the new tooling (master dies) begins.
November 1986: A courier company collects the master dies from the Mint’s facility in Ottawa but (during a snowstorm), loses track of them while on route to Winnipeg, where the coin was to be struck.
December 1986: Search for an alternative design begins.
January 1987: A new design of a common loon is authorized.
June 1987: A new dollar coin (the Loonie) is launched on June 30.
June 1988: End of distribution of the one-dollar note is announced.
April 1989: The last one-dollar bank note is printed by the Bank of Canada.
The now-ubiquitous image of a loon looms large in Canadian iconography, but it wasn't the design intended for the coin—had the original dies not vanished in transit, the dollar’s Voyageur image would appear where the loon roosts today.
The Next Generation
The coin’s design was created by Canadian wildlife artist, Robert-Ralph Carmichael and was instantly dubbed the "Loonie." It’s not known who came up with the name first or why, but the nickname caught on and Canadians have been using it ever since.
At that time, the Loonie’s official introduction into circulation signaled the most significant change to Canada’s coinage system in over 50 years, and the coin’s classic loon design remained virtually untouched up until 2012 when a new generation of one-dollar coins arrived.
Since 2012, the Loonie now incorporates an advanced security feature (a laser mark), which can been seen above the loon in the shape of a maple leaf. Although circulation coin counterfeiting is not a problem in Canada, in a proactive move to make the coin more resistant to potential counterfeiting, the laser mark was added.
The Loonie Over Time …
Unlike the Voyageur design that permanently lost its place on a circulation coin, it is common to find the one-dollar coin with unique (but temporary) commemorative designs. Over the years, the Loonie has celebrated many great events, moments and people. Here we highlight the times the common loon has gracefully swam off our beloved one-dollar coin.
Keep track of your Loonie collection with this infographic. Click here to download.
Pay tribute to Canada’s Loonie in 2022
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