Canadian Mint gets innovation award for glow-in-the-dark coin

Not only Toronto’s major Rob Ford is placing Canada’s name in the global news these days. The Royal Canadian Mint’s glow-in-the-dark quarter, featuring a dinosaur, has won the most innovative coin of the year award and become a “global phenomenon” since it was released in March 2012, the Mint said in a release Tuesday.

The coins features a Pachyrhinosaurus Lakustai, a new species of dinosaur discovered from a fossil found in Alberta, but once in the dark, a glowing skeleton becomes visible.

The Mint said this was the first photo-luminescent coin in the world and that subsequent releases in this “glow-in-the-dark” series have all rapidly sold out.

The award is presented by Krause Publications, a Wisconsin-based media company dedicated to collectibles. An international panel of medallists, journalists, and central bank and museum officials judges the annual competition.