30 dollars - Bighorn Sheep

The strapping bighorn sheep is right at home in one of Canada’s most scenic, most photographed and perhaps most daunting landscapes. Other species might stick to lower elevations but this natural climber easily travels along the slopes of the Canadian Rockies, where it grazes in the valleys or ascends to heights that give it a commanding view. Designed by artist Maurade Baynton, the reverse features a selectively coloured, close-up view of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). The finely engraved backdrop showcases the bighorn sheep’s natural habitat: the soaring peaks and breathtaking valleys of the Canadian Rockies. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. “The bighorn sheep has broomed the tips of his fully curled horns—they typically break them off at eye level in order to see past them. You can see the scars on its face from battles previously waged.” Maurade Baynton: Artist