Most people are excited when they get a shiny, new loonie in their change, but how willing are you to get the most unique and rare Canadian coins out there?
If you've got a few million dollars you don't know what to do with and need a way to splurge, the list of Canada's most expensive coins as sold by the Royal Canadian Mint is a good place to start.
Here are a few of the most expensive coins that are available right now, but they're not the most expensive ever — some sold-out items listed on the Mint's website include coins that cost over $100K!
99.999% Pure Gold Coin - Canadian Wildlife Portraits: The Caribou
Cost: $4,499.95*
Details: As it stands, the most expensive coin up for sale on the Canadian Mint's website is a 99.9999% pure-gold coin featuring a caribou portrait. Payment plans are available, fortunately.
1 oz. Pure Gold Piedfort Coin – Maple Leaf Celebration
Cost: $4,199.95
Details: Just after that is the one-ounce, pure gold "Piedfort Coin," the first of its kind, according to the Mint. That's selling for a cool $4,199 dollars — which if you're good at math you'll know could buy you 4,199 loonies.
1 oz. Pure Gold Coin - Canada's Rarest Coins: 1936 Dot 10 Cents
Cost: $4,199.95
Details: One of two other collectibles at the same price point, this coin is a golden replica of a 1936 10-cent "dot" coin. Only a handful of dimes were ever printed with the small blemish, which you can see at the bottom of the coin, making them incredibly valuable collector's items.
The Mint says they've "painstakingly" recreated the coin, even keeping the "1936" year on it.
"That's a first for us, because the year of issue usually takes precedence," the coin's description reads.
1 oz. Pure Gold Coin - Ramming Bighorn Sheep
Cost: $4,199.95
Details: The next coin is a colourful coin featuring wildlife portraits by Kwakiutl artist Richard Hunt. Only 500 were ever made, which goes some way to explaining the cost!
1 oz. Pure Gold Coin – 125th Anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush
Cost: $3,999.95
Details: Sitting just below $4K, this coin was made for the 125th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush. It features miners panning for gold in the vast landscape, but it's not the only way to get a commemorative Klondike coin — new loonies featuring a similar design were released to the public in September 2021.
1 oz. Pure Gold Coin - 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of Insulin
Cost: $3,999.95
Details: Commemorative coins don't get much sweeter than this. This collectible celebrates the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, a topic also featured on a new toonie that was unveiled earlier this year. Don't worry, though, getting that toonie won't run you nearly $4,000!
Pure Gold Coin - Early Canadian History: The Fur Trade
Cost: $2,199.95
Details: The seventh most expensive coin up for grabs via the Canadian Mint website right now is this Canadian history coin featuring a depiction of the fur trade. Designed from the perspective of the Nishiiyuu (Cree) people, the artwork has only been minted onto 1,200 coins!
*This article has been updated.