Canada - yet more Olympics coins

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Royal Canadian Mint issues 'lucky loonie' coin
Shane Bigham  Feb 11, 2010

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Will the legend of the 'lucky loonie' will continue in Vancouver?  The Royal Canadian Mint has struck a special coin for the 2010 Games, which goes into circulation tomorrow.  The Mint hopes it will bring luck to this year's Canadian athletes.

The new coin was minted partly to honour an Olympic sports tradition which started in Salt Lake City.  It features a now familiar Olympic symbol--the Inukshuk.  The Mint held a street party today at its Olympic pavilion at Granville and Pender to release the new coin, and hundreds of people showed up to get one.

The legend goes back to the 2002 Games in Salt Lake, where ice maker Trent Evans buried a 'loonie' at centre ice.  Canada's men's and women's hockey teams skated off with gold.  This year's new coin is not hidden at centre ice at GM Place (now named Canada Hockey Place), but the hope is that it will still bring some luck.

The new one dollar coin will be available at Royal Bank branches tomorrow.

Source: News1130

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – February 14, 2010 - The Royal Canadian Mint, proud producer of the Vancouver 2010 athlete medals, is thrilled to celebrate Canada's first Olympic gold medal on home soil with a medallion and commemorative coin. The first gold medal was won today by Alexandre Bilodeau in Men's Moguls Freestyle Skiing at Cypress Mountain.

"The Olympic Games movement encourages all athletes to do their absolute best during competition and to view this effort as its own victory," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.  "The Mint congratulates Alexandre Bilodeau for his unprecedented victory and all members of the Canadian Olympic Team for their lifelong dedication to sport and for bringing the country together to watch each thrilling moment of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games."

"Across the country, Canadians are celebrating the heroic efforts of our athletes," said Minister of State Rob Merrifield. "Alexandre Bilodeau's performance will be forever burned into our national memory as the first Olympic gold medal won on our home soil."

The First Canadian Gold Medallion & Nugget captures the pride of Canada in marking this extraordinary event. The gold-plated commemorative medallion, which depicts an athlete with arms raised in victory, includes a special souvenir medallion plus nuggets from Teck Resources containing metals from the actual making of the Vancouver 2010 medals. This once-in-a-lifetime keepsake retails for $24.95.

Source: RCM web site