Canada unveils million-dollar coin
Afp, Ottawa
The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled the world's first 100-kilogram (220.5-pound) pure gold bullion coin Thursday, worth one million Canadian dollars (850,000 US), breaking a record for value. But the loonie, a sobriquet given to Canadian one-dollar coins, will not go into circulation, mint spokeswoman Alex Reeves told AFP. "It's a new denomination for us and required an amendment to the Canadian currency act," he said, adding that three of the coins were produced only after interested buyers came forward. It is 21 inches (53 centimeters) in diameter and 1.2 inches (three centimeters) thick. Like all Canadian coins, it features on one side a likeness of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, also Canada's head of state, by celebrated Canadian portrait artist Susanna Blunt.
|
|
