2023 Canada $1 Tribute: W Mint Mark - Loon Fine Silver (No Tax)

From the Royal Canadian Mint’s Winnipeg facility comes the new Tribute: W Mint Mark series that celebrates Canada’s circulation coins, beginning with the $2 piece and continuing with this pure silver “loonie.”

The engraved image of a solitary loon in water is synonymous with the Canadian dollar, and it is the reason why Canada’s unit of currency is affectionately known as the loonie. Re-created in 99.99% pure silver with a tailored specimen finish, this special tribute is an ode to the most famous Canadian circulation coin, and it comes to you from the facility that has produced every loonie since the first ones rolled off its presses in 1987.

Struck in Winnipeg: Canada’s beloved loonie
In 1985, the government recommended the issuance of a new one-dollar circulation coin as a more durable alternative to the one-dollar banknote. The high-tech presses at our Winnipeg facility were readied for production of the new coin, which would feature the Voyageur silver dollar’s reverse design. But when the master dies, which were created in Ottawa, were lost in transit, a previously submitted art concept was quickly selected as a replacement. On June 30, 1987, the first one-dollar circulation coins – all of them struck in Winnipeg and bearing the now-iconic loon – were distributed across the country.

A numismatic tribute to Canada’s $1 circulation piece, this all-silver coin features Robert-Ralph Carmichael’s now-iconic “loon” design on its reverse, along with the “W” (Winnipeg) mint mark. The obverse features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. The obverse also bears a special marking that includes four pearls symbolizing the four effigies that have graced Canadian coins and the double date of her reign.

Specifications:
Item Number: 207891
Mintage: 7,500
Composition: 99.99% pure silver
Weight: 31.39 g
Diameter: 38 mm
Face Value: $1
Finish: Tailored Specimen
Edge: Serrated
Artist: Robert-Ralph Carmichael (reverse), Susannah Blunt (obverse)

Special Features:
• From the Winnipeg Mint. You’ve never seen Canada’s circulation coin designs quite like this: in 99.99% pure silver with a tailored specimen finish, and bearing the “W” mint mark of the Winnipeg Mint.
• "W" Mint Mark. Coin #2 of a six-part series of 1 oz. 99.99% pure silver coins, a rarity for the Winnipeg Mint, which typically focuses its efforts on circulation coins rather than numismatic ones—and that’s why the “W” mint mark is so unique.
• Tailored specimen finish. The loonie’s iconic loon-in-water design features a satin sheen, while the field’s textured appearance is the result of angled lines inspired by the Winnipeg Mint’s pyramid-shaped building.
• Celebrate Canada's circulation coins! An affordable series for collectors of all ages, the new Tribute: W Mint Mark series celebrates Canada’s circulation coins and tells their story. This is the first pure silver numismatic series struck at the Royal Canadian Mint’s Winnipeg facility.
• Honouring History. These circulation coin designs are part of Canada’s history and our heritage, and who better to tell their story than the facility that produces them!
• The series began in 2023! The series kicked off with a tribute to the $2 circulation coin, and there’s more to come:

• Coin 1: Polar Bear
• Coin 2: Loon
• Coin 3: Coat of Arms
• Coin 4: Caribou
• Coin 5: Bluenose
• Coin 6: Beaver

Packaging:
The coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.