South Africa started the gold bullion rush with the Krugerrand. Once other national mints noticed that investors couldn’t get enough of the gold and silver bullion coins, they followed suit. Now in competition, the sovereign mints of the United State, Australia, China, Canada and Switzerland offer beautiful coins of guaranteed high quality which are also legal tender in their respective countries. But no product quite reaches the level of purity as the Canadian Gold and Silver Maple Leaf coins. When you want only the very finest bullion, look to the Royal Canadian Mint.
Gold Maple Leaf Coin
Produced annually since 1979, the one-ounce Gold Maple Leaf received the face value of $50 Canadian and contains one troy ounce of fine gold. At first, these coins were minted at the usual .999 purity level; however, the mint deployed new refining techniques that removed yet more impurities until the gold increased to .9999 pure from 1983 to present. In some special editions, you can even get a Gold Maple Leaf at 24 karats, .99999 fine.
Social Concerns
Although the Royal Canadian Mint accepts precious metal from many global sources, they make a point of eschewing product from known conflict areas, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, where mining involves gross abuses of human rights.
Features
The Maple Leaf features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the front. Over the decades, the portraiture has changed to remain current. Below her likeness are inscribed the face value and year of mintage.
The reverse side depicts an iconic Canadian sugar maple leaf in high relief along with the weight of the bullion. The coins are minted in four fractionals, as well.
The years 2013 and 2015 saw the addition of unique security features, which we’ll address momentarily.
Silver Maple Leaf Coin
In 1988, the mint introduced the Silver Maple Leaf. It was given a face value of $5 Canadian for the one-ounce bullion coins. The silvers enjoy a purity rating of 99.99 fine, and the artwork follows that of the gold Maple Leaf. In 2014, they also added the extra security features.
Commencing in 2018, each silver Maple Leaf coin receives MintShield technology that reduces the occurrence of white, or milk, spots that can confound even the best refining process.
Security
Both the gold and the silver Maple Leaf coins are now machined with fine radial lines on the reverse side. Duplicating the exact profile of the lines would be extremely difficult for counterfeiters to accomplish without the high-tech equipment and process employed by the mint. But that’s not the end of the new security features.
Both coins also receive a micro-engraved miniature maple leaf with the two-digit production year etched in its center. This micro-engraving only comes clear under magnification.
Finally, each Maple Leaf coin is registered using digital non-destructive activation, also known as bullion DNA. Using a special imaging device and software, participating dealers can scan any Maple Leaf and almost instantly discover whether it is registered with the mint.
No bullion investor should skip over the Canadian Maple Leaf. These coins meet the highest standards in purity, design and security. Visit us at Roswell Gold, Silver and Coins to inspect Maple Leafs in person. You’ll easily see why you should include these extraordinary coins in your portfolio.