The Coolest Coin in the World

We all know that Canadian coins have images of animals on them, right?

Last month the country’s mint issued the first of four quarters featuring images of prehistoric animals that once roamed that part of the continent. The first shows Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, a dinosaur in the same family as Triceratops.

If that wasn’t already cool enough, in the dark (or in your pocket) the coin’s image glows. Or, to be more specific, the dinosaur‘s skeleton glows in the dark.

The luminosity depends on exposing the coin to some strong light beforehand. Exactly how this works is a proprietary secret, but the effect is supposed to be permanent.

Unfortunately, this coin is meant for collectors, not general circulation. Though it has the legal value of Cdn$.25, it’s bigger than a standard Canadian quarter and is actually being sold at post offices for Cdn$29.95. So, alas, it’s not going to show up in our change.