The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is offering a really neat collectible as part of their Vancouver Olympics 2010 coin program - wearable coins. 
The way it works is that the RCM is issuing a series of collectible quarters that depict the various sports that are part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic competition. Because the Canadian quarter is made of nickel-plated steel, it sticks very securely to a strong magnet. The inventive folks at the RCM created a Vancouver 2010-themed magnetic lapel pin. You're supposed to stick your favorite Olympic quarter to the pin and wear it as a symbol of national pride!
In the photo, you see the Figure Skating quarter stuck to one of these magnetic lapel pins. If I want to root for the Alpine Skiing team the next day, I just pluck the Figure Skating coin off the pin and stick the Skiing coin to it! I think this is one of the cleverest coin-related products I've ever seen. It beats the crap out of Statehood Quarter spoons, that's for sure. I knew there had to be an up-side to steel-based coins somewhere...
Comments
Don’t having a coin as a lapel pin decrease or just down right make the coin worthless to a collector?
I feel that putting a coin on a lapel or attaching to anything in order to wear it decreases its value. Am I correct?
Bruce,
You ask a very good question! Thank you for bringing this point up.
Usually, you’d be correct, wearing a coin as a lapel pin generally would mean that you’d have to solder or glue a pin-back to the coin, or otherwise mount it in something, likely lowering its numismatic value.
However, the genius in the RCM’s wearable coins is that you don’t have to damage the coin at all, because the coin is made from a steel coin blank (which has 3 thin layers of nickel on the outside to improve its appearance.) Steel sticks to a magnet, and the RCM lapel pin-base has a powerful magnet in it. You simply stick the coin to the base via magnetic force, and you have a really cool wearable coin unit that doesn’t damage the coin.
Susan Headley
About.com Guide to Coins
Besides, you could buy 2, one for wearing & one for collecting. I’m not sure of the prices, but being made from nickel & steel, they should be fairly reasonable.
Just a suggestion…