If you’re a coin collector or enthusiast, you may want to check your change for a beautiful toonie commemorating National Indigenous Peoples Day, which falls on June 21 each year.
The $2 commemorative circulation coin was designed in collaboration with three artists and was released last year.
According to the Royal Canadian Mint, it was the first time three different artists had collaborated on a single reverse (tails) design on a Canadian circulation coin.
Royal Canadian Mint
Megan Currie, English River First Nation; Myrna Pokiak (Agnaviak), Inuvialuit
Settlement Region; and Jennine Krauchi, Red River Métis each represent the First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in Canada.
There is also a coloured and uncoloured version of the toonie.
The coloured version is a vibrant green with pops of red and orange, so it won’t be hard to spot in your change. You can learn more about the artists’ inspiration for the design here.
Royal Canadian Mint
Royal Canadian Mint
The limited-edition toonie has a mintage of three million coins, two million of which are coloured. Check your wallet because you may already have this unique coin in your change.
Royal Canadian Mint
There’s another way to get your hands on this piece. The Royal Canadian Mint currently has a Keepsake Card honouring National Indigenous Peoples Day. The card comes with two versions of the $2 coin (one with colour and one without).
You can find out more about the Keepsake Card here.
Indigenous artists featured on more coins
The Royal Canadian Mint recently released two new coins designed by Indigenous artists. These pieces are not in circulation and are collector’s items.
The first pays homage to the 25th anniversary of the founding of Nunavut, which officially became a Canadian territory on April 1, 1999.
Nunavut/Royal Canadian Mint
The $20 fine silver coin celebrates Nunavut with a design on its reverse that conveys the territory’s spirit. The coin, which sells for $109.95, was designed by a young Inuk artist named Aija Komangapik, who was born and raised in Iqaluit.
The Hunter/ Royal Canadian Mint
The Hunter, a $30 fine silver coin, features the beautiful work of Kwakiutl artist Jason Henry Hunt. The pure silver, selectively gold-plated piece includes designs that originate from the Kwakiutl (Tsaxis) peoples of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation in British Columbia. The coin is available for $229.95.
National Indigenous Peoples Day was announced in 1996 by then-Canadian Governor General of Canada, Roméo LeBlanc.
“For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on June 21 or around that time of year because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year,” notes the federal government in a statement.
With files from Isabelle Docto.