Voyageur dollar Canadian Mint issued special edition one-dollar coins in silver and gold with platinum plating to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the Loonie, with one of the coins utilizing its design, intended as a new version for the current dollar coin, but bearing the dual dates "1987-2017". Voyageur dollar The Voyageur Dollar was a coin of Canada struck for circulation from 1935 through 1986. Until 1968, the coin was composed of 80% silver. A smaller, nickel version for general circulation was struck from 1968 through 1986. In 1987, the coin was replaced by the loonie. However, like all
Canadian dollar after the then Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker. This peg lasted until 1970, after which the currency's value has floated. Canadian English, like American English, used the slang term "buck" for a former paper dollar. The Canadian origin of this term derives from a coin struck by the Hudson's Bay Company during the 17th century with a value equal to the pelt of a male beaver – a "buck". Because of the appearance of the common loon on the back of the $1 coin that replaced the dollar bill in 1987, the word "loonie" was adopted in Canadian parlance to distinguish