Canadian Gold Maple Leafs

Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins at Provident Metals

What the American Eagle Gold Coin is to the United States is what the Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coin is to Canada. The official gold bullion coin of Canada is one of the most popular gold coins on the market. What began as the second-ever bullion coin made available for investment has turned into a coin program beloved by collectors and investors alike. Learn more about these Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins at Provident Metals.

History of Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins

The South African Krugerrand was the first gold bullion coin made with the intention of investing. However, these gold coins weren’t easily available in large parts of the world, notably in North America and Europe. By the 1970s, there was a Bull Market for gold. This inspired sovereign mints to consider creating gold bullion coins similar to the South African Krugerrand.

While during this time many mints worldwide would start producing gold bullion coins, the Royal Canadian Mint became the first (after the South African Krugerrand) with the Canadian Maple Leaf Gold. The series debuted in 1979 and has released coins annually ever since.

After a few years of releases, in November of 1982, the series was enhanced and went from a purity of 99.9% to 99.99%. What makes this coin program so unique is its wide array of bullion products. The Royal Canadian Mint has experimented with some 99.999% options and other special privy releases for the Maple Leaf Series. This has continued to this day and now, Maple Leafs are among the most popular gold bullion coins to choose from.

Design of Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins

These coins are given their name due to the design on the reverse. The reverse of every coin in this series features a sugar maple leaf, designed by Walter Ott.

Walter Ott was an Austrian engraver, artist, and designer. He was appointed to the Engraving department at the Royal Canadian Mint in 1964. From 1977 to 1985 he served as Chief Engraver and Director of Art at the Royal Canadian Mint.

The sugar maple leaf was introduced on the reverse in 1979 and has been featured on these coins ever since. While the overall design has remained consistent, additions such as security features and privy marks have been included over the years.

The obverse of these coins, from 1979 to 2023, has featured the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. However, the portrait of Her Majesty has changed over the years. In 2024, the effigy of King Charles III was used making it the first time someone other than Queen Elizabeth II was seen.

• 1979-1989: Coins with this issuing year display the Queen at the age of 39.
• 1990-2003: Coins with this issuing year showcase Her Majesty at the age of 64.
• 2004-2023: Coins with this issuing year feature Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 79.
• 2024: Coins with this issuing year showcase King Charles III.

Availability of Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins

The series made its debut in 1979 with just a 1 oz version. In 1982, the 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz options were added. More fractional ounces such as the 1/2 oz were added in 1986, with the 1/20 oz debuting in 1993. For the 15th anniversary of the series, a 1/15 oz version was added in 1994 for one year only. The most recent addition to the series has been the 1 Gram which was introduced in 2014.

Each of these coins has a face value in Canadian Dollars (CAD):

• 1 oz: $50
• 1/2 oz: $20
• 1/4 oz: $10
• 1/10 oz: $5
• 1/20 oz: $1
• 1 Gram: $0.50

Special Releases

What makes the Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Series so popular is its array of diverse options. While most coin programs just offer annual BU releases, the Maple Leaf series has a number of anniversaries or special release coins that continue to captivate numismatists everywhere.

• 999% Gold Coins: Starting in 2005, the Royal Canadian Mint released .99999 pure gold Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins. These coins have a face value of anywhere between $50 (CAD) and $1 million (CAD). The most popular release is the $200 (CAD) coins.
• Single Source Coins: Starting in 2022, the Royal Canadian Mint started selling Maple Leaf Gold Coins that were composed of gold from a single Canadian mining source. These coins are offered on a credit card-size blistercard.
• Anniversary Coins: The Royal Canadian Mint releases anniversary coins periodically to celebrate events such as milestones in the series, anniversary coins for the RCM, and anniversary coins for other Canadian institutions such as the Mounties.
• MapleGrams: One popular special edition in the series is the Canadian MapleGram Gold Coins. This unique form of coinage comes with 25 gold coins, each containing 1 gram of gold. This product is packaged in a large blistercard.

Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Security Features

In recent years, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced security features on their Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins.

In 2013, the mint added a laser-micro-engraved Maple Leaf was added to the reverse. This Maple Leaf had the year of issue located in the center which was only visible under magnification. Two years later, radial lines were added to the obverse and reverse design fields.

For the 2020 release, Canadian Maple Leaf Gold coins were available in MintID packaging. This included the coin encased in a capsule along with a blistercard. This card featured an encrypted microchip to create a secure form of authenticity.

Buying Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins at Provident Metals

Provident Metals has a wide selection of Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins available for purchase. For any questions about these coins, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-313-3315. Our team is also available through email or our online chat feature.