Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coin
After its initial introduction in 1979, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf has been issued annually by the Royal Canadian Mint.
This is a brand-new bullion finish coin. Coins will be packaged loose for small quantities and orders of 10 or more may come in a tube, and 500 in a box.
Minted in .9999 purity, the coin features Queen Elizabeth II on one side and the Canadian Maple leaf on the other. At the time of launch, it broke new ground in its level of gold purity, and few Mint’s matches its purity today. It was recognised as the ideal choice for those wishing to own 24-carat gold in a 1oz coin format. In that way, it bridged the gap between the less pure coins like Sovereigns, and gold bullion which was either larger in size or less tradeable.
Coin detail
Since 2013, the coins have been micro-engraved with a textured maple leaf on a small area of the Maple Leaf side. This engraving denotes the year that the coin was issued and is only visible under a microscope.
The face value of the 1oz coin is C$50, meaning it qualifies as legal tender in Canada.
The Gold Maple leaf is issued in other sizes including ¼ oz, 1/10 oz and ½ oz as well as the popular 1oz silver Maple Leaf coin.
The Maple Leaf
The Maple Leaf emblem was first used as far back as 1868 on the coat of arms of the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
However, it wasn’t adopted as the Canadian Flag until 1965 when Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson had addressed the issue the previous year.
He had set up a committee to replace the Union Flag.
Of the 3 suggestions that were finally short-listed, the maple leaf design by George Stanley, based on the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada was chosen.
The flag was unveiled to the public on 15 February 1965 and this is now National Flag of Canada Day.
Our Expert Opinion
The Maple Leaf is one of the world’s best known and established bullion coins. As such, it benefits from reasonable premiums, a strong two-way market and a quality finish. For a while, it was the only real option for those seeking 24 carats 1oz gold coins. This exclusivity has since receded with other Mint’s around the world realising they needed to compete. Canada’s close neighbours the US launched the 1oz buffalo in 2006 with the same super fine grade of gold.
Similarly, the Chinese Mint launched their own bullion coin in 1982, the Gold Panda, which is also manufactured in 24-carat gold (albeit, slightly more mixed with alloy than the Maple and Buffalo at 99.9% purity). Finally, the Royal Mint realised that 24 carats 1oz coins appealed to the lucrative Asian market more than 22-carat coins, and decided to update their Britannia coin to 24 carats from 2013 onwards. Maple coins are a great purchase and can be collected with the world’s other popular bullion coins. For investment purposes, a wise alternative would be the Gold Britannia which has the added benefit of being Capital Gains Tax-Free.
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