The first coin in this exciting 2010 $3 four-coin series sets itself apart with its uncommon square shape. Gold plating on silver brings an upscale enhancement to this must-have limited-edition coin. Mintage is 15,000 coins.

The Design:

A stylized portrait of the barn owl highlighting its unusual facial features with the moon and wooden beams in the background.

The Barn Owl:

For centuries, the barn owl (Tyto alba) inhabited Europe’s barns and church steeples to feed on the mice that lived there. And when settlers began clearing fields in North America, it was quick to take advantage of the new habitat that was being created in southern British Columbia and southern Ontario—an ecological, environmentally-friendly form of pest control for Canada’s early farmers.