A lot of unique Canadian coins have been put into circulation over the last few years by the Royal Canadian Mint.
These toonies, loonies and dimes are so colourful, and a few are actually pieces of art!
You can get the circulation coins when you pay with cash at stores or get money from banks.
Some of these Canadian coins could already be in your wallet without you even knowing it, so check your change.
That includes blue loonies, green toonies, red and white toonies, blue dimes, and more.
These commemorative coins are rare because only a limited number are minted, and people collect them because of their unique designs that feature colour.
So, here are some of Canada’s most colourful circulation coins to look out for in your change.
United Nations blue and red loonie
This $1 United Nations coin from 2020 commemorates the 75th anniversary of the creation of the intergovernmental organization, which Canada was part of.
It is Canada’s first-ever coloured loonie.
The $1 coin features the UN’s olive branch wreath in light blue and Canada’s maple leaf in red along with a map of the world.
Ocean blue dime
This is Canada’s first-ever coloured dime.
Back in 2021, the Royal Canadian Mint redesigned the image of the Bluenose for the first time. It’s the famous fishing schooner that has been on the 10-cent coin since 1937.
The colourful 10-cent coins feature a dark blue shade underneath the boat that’s meant to be reminiscent of the North Atlantic waters that Bluenose sailed.
Jean Paul Riopelle artwork toonie
This $2 coin that was minted in 2023 honours artist Jean Paul Riopelle, and it’s so full of colour because it’s literally a work of art.
A portion of Riopelle’s L’Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg fresco from 1992 is featured on the inner core of the toonie.
It has the colours that Riopelle used in his original artwork, including orange, brown, blue and white.
Alexander Graham Bell blue loonie
This colourful loonie was released by the Mint in 2022 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell’s birthday.
On this $1 circulation coin, there is an engraved portrait of Bell alongside two of his inventions, the HD-4 Hydrofoil and the Silver Dart.
Part of the loonie is coloured blue, and it looks like the sky.
Bill Reid Haida art toonie
This $2 coin honouring Bill Reid (Iljuwas) from 2020 is actually a piece of art.
It features Xuu.ajii, the Haida Grizzly Bear, which is one of Reid’s most iconic artworks.
The famous Haida art on this toonie is in red, white and black as those are the colours of Haida artistic tradition.
‘Anne of Green Gables’ farmland loonie
The Royal Canadian Mint released this $1 circulation coin in 2024 to honour Canadian author L. M. Montgomery.
It features a profile portrait of Montgomery along with her signature, the drawing of a cat she often included in her writings, a portfolio and an inkwell.
There is also an engraving of Anne Shirley, the heroine in Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.
Behind Montgomery and her most famous character are patchwork fields coloured in shades of green and orange under the light blue P.E.I. sky.
Inuit Nunangat light blue toonie
This $2 circulation coin celebrates Inuit Nunangat and combines the art of four Inuit artists representing each of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat.
It features a light blue inner core with Nuliajuk (the spirit of the sea) and sea creatures, including a walrus, a narwhal, two beluga whales, a seal, and Arctic char.
Also, on that light blue core that looks like the ocean, the belugas are white, the Arctic char are black, the narwhal is grey, and the seal is brown.
There are four regionally specific ulu, the pattern used in traditional Inuit tattooing, and “INUIT NUNANGAT” on the outer ring of the toonie.
National Indigenous Peoples Day green toonie
The Royal Canadian Mint put out this National Indigenous Peoples Day $2 coin in 2023.
The toonie’s inner core is coloured green with hints of red, orange, white and black.
It features the combined work of three First Nation, Inuit and Métis artists.
The First Nations design features Grandmother Moon, a blossoming flower, forget-me-not flowers, circles and berries, and butterflies.
The Inuit design features ulu, the midnight sun, ocean waves, an Inukshuk, a delta braid, and tusks.
The Métis design features an infinity symbol made to look like two fiddles, the Métis sash, part of a red river cart wheel, a beaded five-petalled flower, and the spirit bead.
Canadian flag toonie
This $2 Team Canada 1972 Summit Series coin commemorates the 50th anniversary of the historic hockey win over Team USSR.
It looks like a Canadian flag because the toonie’s inner core features two Team Canada hockey players on top of the red and white maple leaf emblem that’s on the team’s jersey.
Also, the players are wearing black hockey pants and red and white hockey jerseys and socks.
On the silver outer ring of the toonie, there are the coaches’ initials and the jersey numbers of each player on the team.