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50 Cents - Elizabeth II Snowy Owl
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2015 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A detailed close-up portrait of a juvenile Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) rendered in high relief, its facial disc and fluffy plumage filling the central field of the coin. The bird faces the viewer with large, expressive eyes and a prominent hooked beak, the textured feathering meticulously engraved to convey depth and naturalism. The legend CANADA arcs along the upper rim, with the bilingual anno designation AN to the lower left and the date 2015 to the right. The denomination 50 CENTS is inscribed along the lower rim in incuse lettering. |
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| Additional information |
Part of the RCM's ongoing bullion fractional series, this piece was issued the same year Canada's parliament passed Bill C-51, a period when the mint was aggressively expanding its small-denomination gold fractional program to capture collector-investors priced out of full-ounce product. The snowy owl holds particular significance in Canadian zoological history — it serves as the official bird of Quebec, designated in 1987.
At 1.27 grams of .9999 fine gold, these fractionals were struck to the same purity standard as the flagship Maple Leaf, a specification the RCM has maintained since introducing four-nines fineness in 1982.