13 rare Canadian coins you can find in your change, like black toonies, blue dimes and more
You might have these without even knowing it!
Bill Reid toonies. Right: Alexander Graham Bell loonies.
Each year, the Royal Canadian Mint puts out special circulation coins with unique designs like splashes of colour.
There are quite a few rare Canadian coins you can find in your change that might be worth money someday!
The Mint told Narcity earlier in 2025 that these commemorative circulation coins are "more exclusive" than classic circulation coins.
More than eight million $2 coins and almost 23 million $1 coins are minted in Canada every year.
But commemorative circulation coins typically have a limited mintage of three million.
"There is a tendency for the public to collect and keep those coins, which removes a significant percentage from circulation," the Mint said.
Limited mintages and people keeping these coins rather than using them as legal tender mean the coins are pretty rare.
"It can be safe to say that such coins will circulate less over time," the Mint told Narcity.
So, here are a bunch of rare Canadian coins minted between 2019 and 2023 that you might have in your change!
Bluenose dime (2021)
This commemorative 10-cent circulation coin is Canada's first-ever coloured dime.
It features a redesigned engraving of Bluenose, the famous fishing schooner, and a splash of dark blue that's reminiscent of the North Atlantic waters Bluenose sailed on.
Six million dimes with colour and nine million uncoloured versions of the coin were minted in 2021.
Equality loonie (2019)
This $1 equality coin commemorates 50 years of progress in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Canada.
It features the signature work of Vancouver artist Joe Average: an image of two intertwined faces that reflect gender fluidity and the spectrum of genders.
There was a limited mintage of three million coins in 2019.
Queen Elizabeth II toonie (2022)
The Queen Elizabeth II toonie is the first circulation coin in Canada to feature a black-nickel-coloured design.
This $2 coin has the classic elements of a toonie — the gold inner core that features a polar bear on one side and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth on the other — but the outer ring is black instead of silver.
It's meant to be reminiscent of a mourning armband.
Almost five million of these black and gold toonies were minted in 2022.
United Nations loonie (2020)
This $1 United Nations coin commemorates the 75th anniversary of the creation of the global intergovernmental organization.
It features the UN's olive branch wreath in blue, Canada's red maple leaf, and a map of the world.
This loonie is Canada's first-ever colourful $1 coin.
In 2020, two million blue and red coloured coins and one million uncoloured versions were minted.
Gold rush loonie (2021)
This $1 circulation coin marks the 125th anniversary of the discovery of gold in the Klondike.
It features the people credited with the discovery of gold that started the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896: Keish (Skookum Jim Mason), K̲áa Goox̱ (Dawson Charlie), Shaaw Tláa (Kate Carmack) and her husband George Carmack.
On the hillside, there's an icon coloured red to represent the Moosehide Gathering place. That's where the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation relocated after being displaced by gold rushers.
Two million coloured versions and one million uncoloured versions of the coin were minted in 2021.
National Indigenous Peoples Day toonie (2023)
This $2 coin for National Indigenous Peoples Day in 2023 honours First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
The coin features the combined designs of three artists, a first for Canadian circulation coins.
The inner core of the toonie is green with hints of red, orange, white and black.
Three million of these coins were minted, including two million coloured green, red, orange, white and black.
Insulin toonie (2021)
This $2 circulation coin celebrates the 100th anniversary of a Canadian medical breakthrough: the discovery of insulin.
It features the classic silver and gold design of a toonie, but with a bit of blue to highlight the monomer, a building block of the insulin molecule.
Two million coloured versions and one million uncoloured versions of the coin were minted in 2021.
Summit Series toonie (2022)
This $2 coin of the 1972 Summit Series celebrates the 50th anniversary of Team Canada's historic hockey win over Team USSR.
The toonie's inner core features two Team Canada hockey players skating with the team's maple leaf emblem behind them.
Also, the coaches' initials and the jersey numbers of each player from the team are on the outer ring.
In 2022, three million of these coins were minted, including two million that feature a red, white and black-coloured inner core.
World War II victory toonie (2020)
This $2 circulation coin was released in 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
There is a "V" for victory on the inner core that's purple and overlaid with a flaming red and orange torch.
Also, the toonie features a message engraved on the outer ring in Morse code: "We win when we work willingly."
It had a limited mintage of three million coins, two million of which feature colour.
Oscar Peterson loonie (2022)
This $1 coin celebrating Oscar Peterson, a world-renowned pianist and composer who was born in Montreal, features a splash of purple.
That's because purple was his favourite colour!
Also, the loonie includes an engraving of Peterson playing a piano while musical notes from the closing bars of his song "Hymn to Freedom" float out of the instrument.
In 2022, there was a limited mintage of three million coins, two million of which feature the purple accent.
Alexander Graham Bell loonie (2022)
The $1 Alexander Graham Bell coin was released on the 175th anniversary of his birthday to celebrate his achievements.
It features a portrait of Bell and two of his inventions in front of streaks of blue that look like the sky.
In 2022, this loonie had a limited mintage of three million coins, two million of which feature the blue colour enhancement.
Bill Reid toonie (2020)
This $2 coin honouring Bill Reid (Iljuwas) celebrates his legacy and features his artwork.
The toonie showcases Xuu.ajii, the Haida Grizzly Bear, which is one of Reid's most iconic pieces of art. It starts on the inner core and extends to the outer ring.
Reid's famous artwork is in red, white and black on the inner core and in silver on the outer ring.
Three million of these coins were minted in 2020, and two million of them feature the Haida Grizzly Bear in red, white and black.
Elsie MacGill loonie (2023)
This $1 Elsie MacGill coin commemorates the engineer and advocate for women's rights who was known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes."
She helped produce Hawker Hurricanes fighter planes that were used by the Allied forces during World War II.
The loonie features an etching of MacGill and two airplanes.
It's mostly gold-coloured, but one of the planes is coloured with green and brown hues representing military camo.
Two million of the coloured coins and one million classic-hued loonies were minted in 2023.