Commemorative coins of Canada note issued by the Bank of Canada and the Voyageur dollar. For the list of commemorative one dollar coins issued by the Mint since 1987, see: Loonie. The fifty cent coin has borne the Canadian coat of arms on its reverse since the current coin designs were introduced in 1937. There were minor changes to the design of the arms in 1959, when the depiction of the arms was simplified. As well, the Queen suggested that the Tudor crown on the arms be replaced with the crown of St Edward the Confessor. Although a circulating coin, the fifty-cent coin is
50-cent piece (Canadian coin) half-dollar coin. Newer vending machines do not generally accept it, even when they accept coins of both higher and lower value, but many older machines that were retooled to accept loonies will misidentify a 50-cent piece as a loonie, thus allowing the value of the coin to be doubled. A largely unsuccessful attempt was made by the Royal Canadian Mint to promote the use of the coin when a special edition was released in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the throne. After this failed promotion, the mint stopped distributing 50 cent pieces to