The Royal Canadian Mint's shift to .9999 fine silver for its bullion Wildlife and themed series — versus the .999 standard long used by most sovereign mints — was a deliberate competitive move against the American Silver Eagle and Austrian Philharmonic. The bald eagle, an American national symbol, appearing on a Canadian sovereign issue is a quiet irony that went largely unremarked at the time of release.
The Royal Canadian Mint's shift to .9999 fine silver for its bullion Wildlife and themed series — versus the .999 standard long used by most sovereign mints — was a deliberate competitive move against the American Silver Eagle and Austrian Philharmonic. The bald eagle, an American national symbol, appearing on a Canadian sovereign issue is a quiet irony that went largely unremarked at the time of release.