What is a loonie?
Channel: borlinsky
Date: 2011-09-05

The Canadian 1 dollar coin (commonly called Loonie) is a gold-coloured, bronze-plated, one-dollar coin introduced in 1987. It bears images of a common loon, a bird which is common and well known in Canada, on the reverse, and of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.
The design for the coin was meant to be a voyageur theme, similar to the country's previous one dollar/silver dollar coin, but the master dies were lost by the courier service while in transit to the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. In order to avoid possible counterfeiting, a different design was used.
The coin has become the symbol of the Canadian dollar; media often discuss the rate at which the loonie is trading against other currencies. The nickname loonie (huard in French) became so widely recognized that on March 15, 2006 the Royal Canadian Mint secured the rights to the name "Loonie". The name is so ubiquitous that, when it was introduced in 1996, the Canadian 2 dollar coin was nicknamed the "Toonie" (a portmanteau of "two" and "loonie"). (Source: Wikepedia)