01
Bighorn Sheep
A horn spiral fills the upper field.
Read issueRoyal Canadian Mint
Animal Portrait
2017–2025
Nine close encounters with Canadian wildlife, expressed in three-quarter-ounce silver and a finely contrasted reverse-proof finish.
The observed sequence moves from coiled horn and dense fur to feathers, feline ruff and branching antlers. A ninth issue appeared in 2025; completion has not been announced.
- 9
- portraits
- .9999
- fine silver
- ¾ oz
- fine weight
- $2
- face value
THE NINE ISSUES
Browse the portraits
Each annual issue keeps the same silver format while changing the animal, artist or obverse era.
02
Wolverine
A bared muzzle breaks the calm.
Read issue03
Wild Horse
The mane carries movement across the field.
Read issue04
Woodland Caribou
Branching antlers widen the portrait.
Read issue05
Great-Horned Owl
A fixed gaze becomes the centre.
Read issue06
Moose
Palmate antlers carry monumental scale.
Read issue07
Lynx
Ear tufts and ruff test fine linework.
Read issue08
Red Fox
A long muzzle crosses the new obverse era.
Read issue09
White-Tailed Deer
The antler crown brings the count to nine.
Read issueCANADA IN NINE PORTRAITS
Four landscapes, one close-view format
The sequence crosses mountain grassland, coastal dunes, northern forest and cultivated edges. The coins do not show habitat panoramas; the animal face carries that geography through anatomy.
2017 · Mountain grassland
Bighorn Sheep
A permanent horn spiral records age and dominance in the same structure that organizes the coin.
Read issue →
2019 · Coastal dunes
Wild Horse
The mane supplies wind and motion while the tight crop keeps attention on the head.
Read issue →
2021 · Open woodland
Great-Horned Owl
Ear tufts and a centred stare translate a nocturnal hunter into radiating feather marks.
Read issue →2025 · Woodland edge
White-Tailed Deer
Forward antlers and a lifted ear turn an adaptable edge species into the latest portrait.
Read issue →PORTRAIT LANGUAGE
Character, cut into silver
Three fixed enlargements show how relief, incision and negative space distinguish species at the same 38 millimetre scale.
Horn as architecture
Broad arcs establish the silhouette; closely spaced grooves distinguish the horn from face and field.
Eyes on the centreline
Dark eye recesses and short feather strokes hold a direct gaze inside a nearly symmetrical head.
A crown above the rim text
Branching tines occupy the open upper field while the softer face stays legible below.
CHRONOLOGY
Nine years, two obverse eras
The shared reverse-proof format holds steady while designers, portrait subjects and the monarch’s effigy change.
- 01
The sequence opens
Bighorn Sheep establishes the ¾ oz silver format and close-cropped head study.
- 02
Coin 4 is named
The Woodland Caribou page explicitly identifies Animal Portrait and its fourth position.
- 03
Six by Denis Mayer Jr.
Great-Horned Owl and Moose complete the first designer’s observed six-issue run.
- 04
Portrait transition
Lynx carries the Elizabeth II memorial marking; Red Fox introduces Steven Rosati’s Charles III effigy.
- 05
Ninth issue
White-Tailed Deer extends the sequence without an announced completion statement.
SPECIES AT A GLANCE
One field guide to all nine
Habitat is natural-history context; the hallmark column describes what is visible on each reverse.
| Year | Species | Canada habitat | Portrait hallmark | Reverse artist | Obverse era |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Bighorn SheepOvis canadensis | Rocky grasslands and alpine meadows | Coiled horn and calm profile | Denis Mayer Jr. | Elizabeth II |
| 2018 | WolverineGulo gulo | Boreal forest, mountains and Arctic tundra | Dense fur and open jaws | Denis Mayer Jr. | Elizabeth II |
| 2019 | Wild HorseEquus ferus caballus | Open grassland and coastal dune systems | Forward gaze and wind-swept mane | Denis Mayer Jr. | Elizabeth II |
| 2020 | Woodland CaribouRangifer tarandus caribou | Boreal forest and open taiga | Layered antlers and alert ear | Denis Mayer Jr. | Elizabeth II |
| 2021 | Great-Horned OwlBubo virginianus | Open woodland and treed agricultural land | Ear tufts, facial disc and stare | Denis Mayer Jr. | Elizabeth II |
| 2022 | MooseAlces alces | Boreal forest, wetlands, lakes and rivers | Palmate antler and long muzzle | Denis Mayer Jr. | Elizabeth II |
| 2023 | LynxLynx canadensis | Boreal and subalpine forest with deep snow | Black ear tufts and facial ruff | Pierre Leduc | Elizabeth II memorial |
| 2024 | Red FoxVulpes vulpes | Forest edges, farms and urban margins | Long muzzle, alert ear and layered coat | Pierre Leduc | Charles III |
| 2025 | White-Tailed DeerOdocoileus virginianus | Woodland edges, pasture and mixed forest | Forward antlers and lifted ear | Claudio D’Angelo | Charles III |
99.99% PURE SILVER
A consistent three-quarter-ounce silver format.
23.33 GRAMS
A 38 millimetre canvas with a serrated edge.
REVERSE PROOF
Bright relief stands against a softly frosted field.
DATED MAPLE LEAF
The reverse security mark carries the issue year.
SOURCES
Mint records and Canadian natural history
Mint pages establish issues 4–9 and their product details. Specialist records identify issues 1–3; Canadian public sources provide species context.
- Numista — 2017 Bighorn SheepAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- JM Bullion — 2017 Bighorn SheepAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Numista — 2018 WolverineAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- JM Bullion — 2018 WolverineAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- JM Bullion — 2019 Wild HorseAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Metal Market — 2019 Wild HorseAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Royal Canadian Mint — 2020 Woodland CaribouAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Royal Canadian Mint — 2021 Great-Horned OwlAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Royal Canadian Mint — 2022 MooseAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Royal Canadian Mint — 2023 LynxAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Royal Canadian Mint — 2024 Red FoxAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Royal Canadian Mint — 2025 White-Tailed DeerAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Parks Canada — Bighorn SheepAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Environment and Climate Change Canada — WolverineAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Parks Canada — Sable Island HorsesAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Natural Resources Canada — Boreal CaribouAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Environment and Climate Change Canada — Great Horned OwlAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Parks Canada — MooseAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Parks Canada — Canada LynxAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Parks Canada — Red FoxAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Ontario — White-tailed Deer HabitatAccessed 24 Aug 2026
- Royal Canadian Mint — Intellectual Property PolicyAccessed 24 Aug 2026