The Royal Canadian Mint is auctioning two specially-minted gold coins on eBay – something it's never done before – to raise money for two of the Queen's favourite Canadian charities.

The coins, which went on the auction block Monday afternoon, are one-of-a-kind 24-carat versions of two silver dollars. The coins are being auctioned separately. The opening bid on each coin was $500. As of 5 p.m. ET Monday, one coin had attracted a top bid of $1,020 and the other coin had a top bid of $810.

The mint has never before produced a solid gold version of any Canadian silver dollar.




The auctions will run for ten days with all of the proceeds going to Save the Children Canada and the Humane Society of Canada. The Queen serves as official patron for both charities.

The auction is designed as a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Queen's coronation. As part of that celebration, the Royal Canadian Mint has begun minting all Canadian coins with a new portrait of the Queen.