Description

The loonie (French: huard), formally the Canadian one-dollar coin, is a gold-coloured coin that was introduced in 1987. The most prevalent versions of the coin show a common loon, a bird found throughout Canada. Various commemorative and specimen-set editions of the coin with special designs replacing the loon on the reverse have been minted over the years.

During the 2003 production run the obverse was changed to feature a new, more mature looking effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2006 a new stylized Royal Canadian Mint logo was added below the Queen's effigy.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 1926–2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and of 14 other Commonwealth realms. Her reign of 70 years and seven months, which began on 6 February 1952, was the longest of any British monarch in history.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union. The number of her realms varied over time as territories have gained independence and some realms have become republics.

Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively.