1994 Remembrance Loonie
The 1994 Remembrance Loonie is a circulating loonie with 15 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1994
- Circulation mintage
- 15,000,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- RCM Staff
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1994 Remembrance Loonie worth?
15 million were made, so the 1994 Remembrance Loonie is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition
- Specimen or proof finish from a Mint set
- Colored versions sold in collector packs
- A genuine mint error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1994 Remembrance Loonie rare?
- No. 15 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1994 Remembrance Loonie coins were made?
- 15,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 1994 Remembrance Loonie?
- The design is credited to RCM Staff.
- What is the 1994 Remembrance Loonie made of?
- Nickel plated with aureate bronze. It weighs 7.0 g and measures 26.5 mm, with an 11-sided shape.
- Is the 1994 Remembrance Loonie still legal tender?
- Yes. Every loonie, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Canada.
Why the 1994 Remembrance Loonie was made
The 1994 loonie carries a remembrance design built around the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The memorial stands in Confederation Square near Parliament Hill and was unveiled by King George VI in 1939. It was first raised to honor Canadians who served in the First World War and its meaning has since been widened to cover those who served in later conflicts. Every November 11 it becomes the focus of the national Remembrance Day ceremony. The memorial is also known as The Response, a reference to Canadians answering the call to serve in 1914.
The coin appeared in the year Canadians marked the 50th anniversary of D-Day and it went straight into circulation alongside the ordinary loon. It was only the second commemorative loonie, two years after the Confederation coin and like that first one it was made in large numbers. One detail helps date the picture: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed in front of the memorial in 2000. The coin shows the monument as it looked before that addition, so don't expect to find the tomb in the design.
How to recognize it
The reverse shows the National War Memorial, the tall granite arch with bronze figures of service members passing through it and two winged figures on top representing peace and freedom. The original monument was sculpted by Vernon March, while the coin adaptation is credited to Royal Canadian Mint staff. Because the arch is tall and narrow, the design fills the middle of the coin vertically, which makes it easy to pick out among loonies in a handful of change. The date 1994 confirms the issue. On the obverse is the Queen in Dora de Pédery-Hunt's portrait. If your 1994 loonie shows a loon instead of the arch, you have the regular coin from that year.
1994 Remembrance Loonie by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1994 Remembrance Loonie ranks 18th lowest of 19 circulating loonies with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2005 Terry Fox Loonie (12.9 million); the next more common is the 1992 Confederation 125 Loonie (23 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1992 Confederation 125 Loonie with 23 million, about 1.5 times as many. The scarcest is the 2019 Equality Loonie with 3 million, 5 times fewer than this one.
It was the only circulating commemorative loonie dated 1994.
What to check on your 1994 Remembrance Loonie
- Confirm the design and date: the Remembrance reverse dated 1994. The 11-sided shape and gold color make a loonie easy to tell from other coins.
- Check whether it has added color. Colored versions come from collector packs, not from change. Keep them in their packaging.
- Look for even plating. Worn spots that show a different metal underneath are normal wear, not an error.
- Specimen and proof loonies from Mint sets have mirror or satin finishes that circulation coins never have.
Fifteen million were struck for circulation, a large number for a commemorative. That puts it comfortably in face value territory when worn. Condition is the only real lever: the bronze figures on the memorial are tiny, so a well struck coin with sharp detail on them stands out from the average piece. Uncirculated examples with clean fields can bring a small premium from collectors filling an album. Heavy wear flattens the figures into a blur, so if you can still make out separate shapes passing through the arch, your coin has seen little use.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1994 |
| Circulation mintage | 15,000,000 |
| Composition | Nickel plated with aureate bronze |
| Weight | 7.0 g |
| Diameter | 26.5 mm |
| Shape | 11-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | RCM Staff |
Frequently asked questions
What monument is on the 1994 loonie?
It shows the National War Memorial in Confederation Square, Ottawa. The arch with its bronze figures was unveiled in 1939 and is the site of the national Remembrance Day ceremony every November 11. It is one of the best known monuments in the capital.
How many 1994 Remembrance loonies were made?
The Royal Canadian Mint struck 15,000,000 for circulation. That is a large mintage for a commemorative loonie, so circulated coins are common and sit at face value. Only sharp uncirculated pieces attract a small premium.
Mintage figures: Loonie (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.