10 Dollars - Elizabeth II Northern Cardinal

Part of the RCM's ongoing coloured wildlife series, this issue was produced using selective enameling over fine silver — a technique the mint refined considerably through the early 2010s after initial runs showed adhesion inconsistencies between the enamel layer and the .9999 field. The northern cardinal was one of several songbird subjects issued that year as the RCM expanded the series to appeal to the naturalist collector market, a deliberate commercial pivot following strong secondary market performance of earlier bird entries.