| The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is the official bullion gold coin of Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. It is one of the purest gold regular-issue coins produced with a gold content of .9999 millesimal fineness (24 carats), with some special issues .99999 fine. That is, it contains virtually no base metals at all—only gold, from mines in Canada. The coin was introduced in 1979. At the time the only bullion coin was the Krugerrand, which was not widely available because of the economic boycott of apartheid-era South Africa. Coins minted between 1979 and 1982 have a gold content of .999.Each gold Maple Leaf coin features the image of Queen Elizabeth the second, along with the denomination and date of issue, on the obverse side…and an image of Canada’s national symbol, the maple leaf (from which the coin derives its name), on the reverse side, along with the name of the country and the level of purity of the gold, listed in both English and French.
Starting in 1988 Maple Leaf coins have also been struck in .9995-fine platinum, having the same weights and face values as the gold coins. Since 1988, a one-ounce .9999-fine silver Maple Leaf has also been struck, with a face value of $5. In 2005, a .9995-fine palladium Maple Leaf 1 oz coin was introduced, with a face value of $50. This palladium coin is subject to the federal Goods and Services Tax in Canada.
On May 3, 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a Gold Maple Leaf coin with a face value of $1 million, though the gold content was worth over $2 million at the time. It measures 50 cm in diameter by 3 cm thick and has a mass of 100 kg, with a purity of 99.999%. The artist is Stanley Witten. The coin is mainly a promotional product, to give the mint a higher international profile. The hundred-kilogram coin was conceived as a one-off showpiece to promote the mint’s new line of 99.999-percent-pure one-ounce Gold Maple Leaf bullion coins, but after several interested buyers came forward the mint announced it would manufacture them as ordered and sell them for between $2.5 and $3 million. As of May 3, 2007 there were five confirmed orders. |
