2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie
The 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie is a circulating loonie with 10 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2017
- Circulation mintage
- 10,000,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Designer
- Wesley Klassen
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 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie worth?
10 million were made, so the 2017 Connecting a Nation 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 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie rare?
- No. 10 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie coins were made?
- 10,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- Who designed the 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie?
- The design is credited to Wesley Klassen.
- What is the 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie made of?
- Multi-ply plated steel. It weighs 6.27 g and measures 26.5 mm, with an 11-sided shape.
- Is the 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie still legal tender?
- Yes. Every loonie, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Canada.
Why the 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie was made
Canada celebrated 150 years since Confederation in 2017 and the Royal Canadian Mint marked the year with a set of circulation coins chosen through a public design contest. Canadians were invited to submit designs on themes that described the country and the winning entries went onto five circulation coins, from the five cent piece through to the toonie. The loonie's theme was Our Achievements and the chosen design was Connecting a Nation.
The coin went into circulation with a mintage of 10,000,000, a large figure for a recent commemorative. Its subject is the way Canada was tied together from coast to coast, beginning with the railway that linked the provinces in the years after Confederation. Instead of a single monument, the design pulls together landmarks from across the country, so it reads almost like a journey. If you were in Canada in 2017, you may remember a handful of different anniversary coins turning up in change at once. This was the loonie among them. The transcontinental railway was completed in 1885, when the last spike was driven in British Columbia. Nearly every region gets a nod on the coin.
How to recognize it
Wesley Klassen's design features the railroad running across the coin, with landmarks such as the Lions Gate Bridge, a prairie grain elevator, the CN Tower, Quebec City's Château Frontenac and an East Coast lighthouse. Each landmark represents a region, so the coin crosses the country from west to east. It is detailed enough that a magnifier helps. Look for the CN Tower and the grain elevator, two shapes that are easy to pick out, along with the date 2017. The obverse keeps the Queen in Susanna Blunt's portrait. The track runs across the coin like a thread that joins the scenes together.
2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie ranks 13th lowest of 19 circulating loonies with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2009 Montreal Canadiens Loonie (10 million); the next more common is the 2010 Lucky Loonie Loonie (10.3 million).
For scale, the most common is the 1992 Confederation 125 Loonie with 23 million, about 2.3 times as many. The scarcest is the 2019 Equality Loonie with 3 million, 3.3 times fewer than this one.
2017 brought 1 other circulating loonie design: the Toronto Maple Leafs (5.15 million). The 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie was the most plentiful of the year.
What to check on your 2017 Connecting a Nation Loonie
- Confirm the design and date: the Connecting a Nation reverse dated 2017. 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.
With 10,000,000 struck, the Connecting a Nation loonie is common and circulated examples are face value coins. The fine landmarks blur with wear, so condition matters more than usual. An uncirculated coin where each building is crisp can earn a small premium, especially from collectors keeping a full Canada 150 set. If yours came in a card or sealed holder, it was sold as a collector product. Loose coins with soft detail on the bridge and lighthouse are circulation finds.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2017 |
| Circulation mintage | 10,000,000 |
| Composition | Multi-ply plated steel |
| Weight | 6.27 g |
| Diameter | 26.5 mm |
| Shape | 11-sided |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | Wesley Klassen |
Other 2017 loonies
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Toronto Maple Leafs Loonie | 5,150,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
What landmarks are on the 2017 loonie?
Wesley Klassen's design shows the railroad with the Lions Gate Bridge, a prairie grain elevator, the CN Tower, the Château Frontenac in Quebec City and an East Coast lighthouse, crossing the country west to east.
How was the Canada 150 loonie design chosen?
It came from a public design contest for Canada's 150th anniversary. The loonie's theme was Our Achievements and Wesley Klassen's Connecting a Nation won. The Mint struck 10,000,000 for circulation.
Mintage figures: Loonie (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.