One of the world’s finest coins just happens to be made right here in Canada. The Canadian Maple Leaf coin, produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, was launched in 1979 made of .999 pure gold and just five years later was purified further to be .9999 pure – a rare feat at the time. The stunning design and purity success catapulted the coin to the world’s highest-selling gold coin.
Based on this success, silver and platinum coins were introduced in 1988. The fluctuating price of platinum led to a brief pause in production, which has since resumed and continues to be popular among not only Canadians but collectors and investors around the world. A palladium coin was launched in 2005 and also continues to find success.
With the popularity of Canadian Silver Maple Leafs due to their lower cost, the Royal Canadian Mint has introduced several variations over the years. In 2005, a Liberation of the Netherlands triple privy silver Maple Leaf was produced and the same year saw the introduction of the “Legacy of Liberty” coin set. There can now be found various editions with special privy marks, nature-related Maple Leafs and coloured/hologram coins.
The gold and silver coins have 99.99% purity while platinum and palladium versions of the Canadian Maple Leaf coin have purities of 99.95%.
Buyers of the palladium Canadian Maple Leaf keep in mind that palladium is not considered an investment product and therefore is charged HST when purchased.
Mint: Royal Canadian Mint
Country: Canada
Composition: Gold, silver, platinum and palladium
First Year of Issue: 1979 (Gold), 1988 (silver), 1988 (platinum) and 2005 (palladium)
Artist: Otto Schultz
Fascinating Fact: The “Big Maple Leaf” weighs 100 kilograms and was the largest gold coin ever produced until 2011. In 2017 one of them was stolen from a German museum, never to be seen again.
Obverse: An effigy of Queen Elizabeth II along with the metal type, purity, weight and country of issue.
Reverse: A maple leaf.
