The Royal Canadian Mint has a new $20 collector coin that looks a lot like a toonie at first glance — but it’s actually made of fine silver and sells for $134.95.
Part of the Mint’s Animal Portraits series for 2025, the freshly minted Polar Bear coin is 99.99% pure silver and features a striking design by Canadian artist Trevor Tennant. The polar bear, Canada’s largest bear species, appears to walk right out of the centre of the coin, its front paws crossing onto the outer ring. The effect makes it feel like the bear is stepping off the ice and into your hand.
Canada is home to more than two-thirds of the world’s polar bear populationRoyal Canadian Mint
Unlike a standard $2 coin, which has a gold centre and silver edge, this limited-edition $20 piece is the opposite: the outer ring is plated with yellow gold while the centre, where the bear stands, remains silver. That makes it feel like a kind of reverse toonie.
The other side of the coin features the official effigy of King Charles III, designed by artist Steven Rosati. This time, it’s the King’s portrait that’s gold-plated while the rest of the background stays silver.
The polar bear coin is one of three in the Mint’s 2025 Animal Portraits series, which also includes a grey wolf and an elk (the latter resembles a gold-plated quarter). Each coin is made of 99.99% pure silver and is limited to 7,500 units across Canada.
Although the polar bear coin was the first to be released back in March 2025, it’s still awaiting stock — meaning collectors haven’t been able to get their hands on it yet. The elk followed in June, and the grey wolf is set to arrive in November, as shown in the image below:
You can order the Polar Bear coin online at mint.ca or pick one up in person at the Royal Canadian Mint’s boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg.
It may look like pocket change, but this is one coin you’ll definitely want to keep out of your coin purse.
This story was inspired by the article “This gold-coloured Canadian coin looks like a toonie but costs way more than that to get,”which was originally published on Narcity by Lisa Belmonte.
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