2014 - 25 Cents - 0.5 g Pure Gold Coin - Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

In Canada, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep inhabits the Rocky Mountains of central and eastern British Columbia and western Alberta. While they do not technically migrate, herds travel seasonally from highland habitats in the summer to lower, south-facing valleys in the winter, where they can forage beneath the snow for grasses. Scientists believe that the Bighorn Sheep of North America, including the Rocky Mountain, Sierra Nevada, and Desert subspecies, originally arrived via Siberia's Bering land bridge some 20,000 years ago, reaching a population of more than one million by the middle of the nineteenth century.

The powerful Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is one of Canada's most distinctive and identifiable wild sheep species.

Design
Your coin was designed by Emily Damstra, rendered in exceptional detail despite the coin's miniscule size, and features a profile view of the statuesque curly-horned head of an adult Rocky Mountain Bighorn ram. Exquisite detailing highlights the annulus ridges of the regal ruminant's blunt-ended left horn, which curls to within centimetres of its far-seeing eyes. The animal's dark, short hair and light-coloured muzzle are brought to life through fine detail and engraving.

Specifications
 

• Mintage 10000
• Composition 99.99% pure gold
• Finish proof
• Weight (g) 0.5
• Diameter (mm)11
• Edge serrated
• Certificate serialized
• Face value 25 cents
• Artist Emily Damstra (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)