Birds of Prey Series

Birds of Prey Series of Silver Coins at JM Bullion

Following up on the immense popularity of the Canadian Wildlife Series, the Royal Canadian Mint seized on the momentum of its existing wildlife-themed silver bullion coins. After the Canadian Wildlife Series concluded in 2014, the Royal Canadian Mint took its wildlife design themes to the sky with the Birds of Prey Series. As Ian E. Bennett, then President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint, said at the time, the collection “not only solidifies our reputation for quality, but also to capture the imagination of our customers with distinctly Canadian themes.”

About the Birds of Prey Series

The Birds of Prey Series debuted with a staggered release schedule over two years that featured consecutive February-August release points. The 2014 coins were released in those months, with the 2015 coins released in the same months the following year. Each coin has 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure silver and offers specimens in Brilliant Uncirculated condition in the initial Birds of Prey Series (2014-2015). The immense popularity of this series lead the Royal Canadian Mint to issue the designs again on a similar schedule in 2016 and 2017. This time, the coins were released with limited mintages and reverse proof visuals. A reverse proof coin has mirrored designs elements overlaying frosted background fields.

All four of the designs in the Birds of Prey Series were created by Emily Damstra. Ms. Damstra had previously worked with the Royal Canadian Mint on the final two designs (2013-dated) in the Canadian Wildlife Series. Since then, she has joined the Artistic Infusion Program at the United States Mint and has contributed to such well-known programs as the America the Beautiful Series.

Designs in the Birds of Prey Series

Four of North America’s most prominent aerial predators are the focus of the Birds of Prey Series designs from Emily Damstra. The coins were released in the following order with the specific designs detailed below:

• Peregrine Falcon: The design of the peregrine falcon includes the medium-sized predator swooping down to attack its prey. The birds wings are flexed back with a bend in the wings as its talons are stretched to the utmost to tackle its prey.
• Bald Eagle: The largest bird of prey in North America, the bald eagle is a species of sea eagle and is known to build one of the largest nests of any bird species in the world. In this design, the eagle is depicted gliding back to its nest after a successful attack on its prey, as you can see from the fish in its talons.
• Red-Tailed Hawk: One of the more beautiful and deadly aerial predators in Canada, the red-tailed hawk is featured in this design flying in search of its next meal. With its wings stretched out, its talons and legs are dangling below its frame.
• Great Horned Owl: The final design in the series is that of the silent predator, the Great Horned Owl. One of the largest owl species in North America, the Great Horned Owl is so called for the large feathers near its ears that replicate the appearance of horns. It is shown in this design swooping down to swiftly, silently snatch its prey with its outstretched talons.

On the obverse side of all of the coins in the Birds of Prey Series, the Royal Canadian Mint issues the design of Queen Elizabeth II. The fourth-generation portrait of Queen Elizabeth II featured here is the first in her reign to lack a crown on her head and was created in 2003 by Susanna Blunt, just the second Canadian artist ever to create a monarch effigy for Canadian coins.

Details on the Canadian Birds of Prey Silver

Aside from the differing visuals in the BU and Reverse Proof releases of the Birds of Prey Series, the Royal Canadian Mint issued the coins with different mintage figures. The BU series had its individual designs limited to 1 million coins per release, while the Reverse Proof Series featured limited mintages of only 100,000 silver coins per design release.

Buying Canadian Birds of Prey Silver Coins from JM Bullion

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