One dollar

Canadian circulation coin · 1935–present

Denomination overview

Canada's one-dollar coin has two major circulation lineages: Emanuel Hahn's large Voyageur dollar, introduced in silver in 1935, and Robert-Ralph Carmichael's compact eleven-sided Loonie, introduced in 1987 to replace the one-dollar note. Both lineages include commemorative interruptions and multiple technical standards.

Scope: 2 major types, 7 official technical standards, and 90 published annual rows from 1935 through 2024. Unpublished years, prices, survivor estimates, and unverified varieties are not inferred.

Move from denomination to major type

The 36.06 or 32.13 mm large dollar belongs to the Voyageur lineage or a contemporary commemorative reverse. The 26.5 mm eleven-sided coin belongs to the Loonie lineage; its loon, special circulation reverses, bronze plating, and post-2012 plated steel require separate checks.

• Major types — Large Voyageur dollar lineage, Eleven-sided Loonie lineage
• Identification order — The 36.06 or 32.13 mm large dollar belongs to the Voyageur lineage or a contemporary commemorative reverse. The 26.5 mm eleven-sided coin belongs to the Loonie lineage; its loon, special circulation reverses, bronze plating, and post-2012 plated steel require separate checks.
• Production evidence — Official 1935–2024 rows appear in an adaptive square-root chart and full annual table.

The history of Canadian One-Dollar Coin

Canada's one-dollar coin has two major circulation lineages: Emanuel Hahn's large Voyageur dollar, introduced in silver in 1935, and Robert-Ralph Carmichael's compact eleven-sided Loonie, introduced in 1987 to replace the one-dollar note. Both lineages include commemorative interruptions and multiple technical standards.

The 36.06 or 32.13 mm large dollar belongs to the Voyageur lineage or a contemporary commemorative reverse. The 26.5 mm eleven-sided coin belongs to the Loonie lineage; its loon, special circulation reverses, bronze plating, and post-2012 plated steel require separate checks.

The Mint presents principal reverses, technical specifications, and annual mintages as separate evidence. This page preserves those boundaries rather than automatically assigning every denomination total to one special reverse.

Begin with one Voyageur and one Loonie, then add silver/nickel large-dollar standards, pre- and post-2012 Loonies, and clearly labelled commemorative reverses. Do not add all commemoratives to the base-type annual total without checking the Mint's row scope.

1. 1935 · Voyageur dollar — Emanuel Hahn's canoe design launched Canada's silver dollar.
2. 1939 · Royal Visit — A special Hahn reverse commemorated the royal visit.
3. 1949 · Newfoundland — Thomas Shingles' Matthew reverse marked Newfoundland joining Confederation.
4. 1967 · Centennial goose — Alex Colville's goose replaced the Voyageur.
5. 1968 · Nickel large dollar — Nickel replaced silver for the large circulation format.
6. 1987 · Loonie introduced — The compact eleven-sided coin replaced the one-dollar note.
7. 1992 · Canada 125 — Rita Swanson's children-and-flag reverse replaced the loon for the anniversary.
8. 2005 · Terry Fox — A special circulation Loonie commemorated the Marathon of Hope.
9. 2012 · Plated steel and laser mark — A lighter multi-ply plated-steel standard added a security mark.
10. 2024 · Published table endpoint — The official annual table currently runs through 2024.

Design generations and identification

The 36.06 or 32.13 mm large dollar belongs to the Voyageur lineage or a contemporary commemorative reverse. The 26.5 mm eleven-sided coin belongs to the Loonie lineage; its loon, special circulation reverses, bronze plating, and post-2012 plated steel require separate checks.

• Voyageur Dollar · 1935–1986 · Emanuel Hahn — Voyageur and Indigenous guide paddling a canoe; commemorative reverses in selected years. Large Voyageur dollar lineage.
• Loon Dollar (Loonie) · 1987–present · Robert-Ralph Carmichael — Common loon on water; commemorative reverses in selected years. Eleven-sided Loonie lineage.

Attribute with denomination, date, portrait, principal reverse, diameter, weight, thickness, shape, edge, and metal response together; colour or wear alone does not establish a new type.

Read long-run production on a square-root scale

The official table provides 90 annual rows from 1935 through 2024, summing to 1,694,106,382 pieces.

The square-root scale compresses extreme highs while keeping zero-production years visible; use the annual table for exact figures.

Design and technology turning points

These anchors support identification and planning; they are not price or rarity rankings.

• Voyageur dollar — Emanuel Hahn's canoe design launched Canada's silver dollar.
• Royal Visit — A special Hahn reverse commemorated the royal visit.
• Newfoundland — Thomas Shingles' Matthew reverse marked Newfoundland joining Confederation.
• Centennial goose — Alex Colville's goose replaced the Voyageur.
• Nickel large dollar — Nickel replaced silver for the large circulation format.
• Loonie introduced — The compact eleven-sided coin replaced the one-dollar note.
• Canada 125 — Rita Swanson's children-and-flag reverse replaced the loon for the anniversary.
• Terry Fox — A special circulation Loonie commemorated the Marathon of Hope.
• Plated steel and laser mark — A lighter multi-ply plated-steel standard added a security mark.
• Published table endpoint — The official annual table currently runs through 2024.

Type, special reverse, and variety are different levels

Confirm the major type first, then the special reverse or technical generation; create a variety only when an authoritative source defines and supports it.

1. Confirm denomination and principal design — The 36.06 or 32.13 mm large dollar belongs to the Voyageur lineage or a contemporary commemorative reverse. The 26.5 mm eleven-sided coin belongs to the Loonie lineage; its loon, special circulation reverses, bronze plating, and post-2012 plated steel require separate checks.
2. Match the technical standard — Match the date to the official composition, weight, diameter, and thickness generation.
3. Preserve the evidence boundary — Do not infer a variety, error, price, or survivor count from an annual total, colour, or wear.

Mint annual production table

The table preserves each published figure from 1935 through 2024, including zero-production rows and any split label stated by the Mint.

Annual figures are denomination-level production records; special reverses cannot always be separated from a same-year regular design.

Composition, weight, and dimension generations

A transition year can contain overlapping or parallel standards; the page preserves the Mint's published date labels.

1935 – 1967 · Round

Composition

80% silver, 20% copper

Weight

23.3 g

Diameter

36.06 mm

Thickness

2.84 mm

1968 – 1982 · Round

Composition

99.9% nickel

Weight

15.62 g

Diameter

32.13 mm

Thickness

2.62 mm

1982 – 1986 · Round

Composition

99% nickel (minimum)

Weight

15.62 g

Diameter

32.13 mm

Thickness

2.55 mm

1987 · 11-sided

Composition

91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating

Weight

7 g

Diameter

26.72 mm

Thickness

1.95 mm

1988 – 2002 · 11-sided

Composition

91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating

Weight

7 g

Diameter

26.5 mm

Thickness

1.75 mm

2003 – 2012 · 11-sided

Composition

91.5% nickel, 8.5% bronze plating

Weight

7 g

Diameter

26.5 mm

Thickness

1.95 mm

2012 – present · 11-sided

Composition

multi-ply brass plated steel

Weight

6.27 g

Diameter

26.5 mm

Thickness

1.95 mm

Collecting paths and checklist

Begin with one Voyageur and one Loonie, then add silver/nickel large-dollar standards, pre- and post-2012 Loonies, and clearly labelled commemorative reverses. Do not add all commemoratives to the base-type annual total without checking the Mint's row scope.

• Major-type set — Choose one clearly attributable representative of every major type.
• Design generations — Add officially identified special reverses and design interruptions.
• Technical generations — Expand by composition, dimensions, weight, shape, and security features.
• Source-backed annual study — Study varieties, errors, grades, and markets only when issue-level evidence is sufficient.

Collector checklist

• Do not clean the coin.
• Compare date, portrait, reverse, edge, weight, and diameter together.
• Record special reverses separately from the base type.
• Annual mintage is not survival or rarity.
• Have consequential attributions reviewed by an appropriate specialist.

Data scope

This page publishes reviewed denomination- and major-type-level evidence. Years not published by the Mint remain unknown, zero appears only when the source reports zero, and prices or survivor estimates are not inferred from production.

Sources

Mint evidence anchors designs, specifications, and annual rows; the listed government, museum, or research sources supplement historical and legal context.

1. 1 dollarRoyal Canadian Mint

   Large-dollar and Loonie design and technical chronology.

2. A Tale of Two Designs: How Canada's 1-dollar Coin Became the LoonieRoyal Canadian Mint

   The 1935 silver dollar, planned Voyageur dies, and the 1987 Loonie transition.