Klondike 125th $1 Commemorative Coins

Summary#

This is the Order Authorizing the Issue of Two One-dollar Commemorative Circulation Coins Specifying the Characteristics and Determining the Designs (Klondike), published May 26, 2021. It lets the Royal Canadian Mint produce two $1 circulation coins (one coloured and one non‑coloured) to mark the 125th anniversary of the start of the Klondike Gold Rush.

What it does#

• Authorizes the Royal Canadian Mint to issue two $1 commemorative circulation coins with a diameter of 26.5 mm.
• Both coins use the same design; one will be produced in colour and the other without colour.
• The reverse design shows the four people credited with finding the gold that started the rush — Keish (Skookum Jim), Káa Goox (Dawson Charlie), Shaaw Tláa (Kate Carmack) and George Carmack — set in a hilly, forested landscape.
• The design also includes an image representing the Moosehide Gathering place, the inscriptions 1896, KLONDIKE, 2021, and a security mark.
• The obverse (front) shows the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt (initials “SB”), and the artist’s initials “JV” appear on the reverse.
• The order follows powers in the Royal Canadian Mint Act to approve the coins’ design and issue.

Who's affected#

• Everyday cash users and bank customers, because the coins will be released into circulation through financial institutions and public coin exchanges.
• Coin collectors and numismatists, who commonly seek special-issue circulation coins.
• Residents of Yukon and communities connected to the Klondike story, especially the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation, which was consulted and whose history is represented on the coin.
• Museums, historians and educators interested in commemorations of Canadian history.
• Small businesses and the general economy: the order says there are no extra costs to Canadians or businesses.

Why it matters#

• These coins are a visible, everyday way to mark the 125th anniversary of a major event in Yukon and Canadian northern history.
• The design highlights the people involved in the discovery and acknowledges the disruption the Gold Rush caused to Indigenous communities, helping raise public awareness.
• Because the coins circulate at face value, many will be used in commerce while some will be collected and taken out of circulation, making them both a public commemoration and items of interest to collectors.
• The government consulted local Indigenous groups and heritage organizations in developing the design, and the order is an administrative authorization to produce the coins rather than a change in law or public policy.