Canadian Gold Maple Leaf
The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coin is a gold bullion introduced to the public in the year 1979. It is issued by the Canadian Government every year and is produced strictly by the Royal Canadian Mint. During this time, the Krugerrand and the Austrian 100 Corona were the only bullion coins being minted that could compete with the GML. It is important to note that, as a rule, coins minted between 1979 through 1982 have a fineness of .999.
Value
The Gold Maple Leaf coin may serve as a legal tender that bears a face value that is equivalent to 50 Canadian dollars. Its bullion value, however, may vary, depending on the spot price of gold. The GML is strictly produced into coins composed of millesimal fineness (24 karats). Its guaranteed purity of .9999 or, in some cases, .99999 certifies that the GML is truly one of the purest official bullion coins circulating the market today. The standard version of this coin should weigh a minimum of 1 troy ounce or 31.10 in grams. Other sizes and denominations, however, are also available, including the following:
- 1⁄25 oz. ($0.50)
- 1⁄20 oz. ($1)
- 1⁄10 oz. ($5)
- 1⁄4 oz. ($10)
- 1⁄2 oz. ($20)
Design
On its obverse, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin bears a profile of Queen Elizabeth II of Canada. At the same time, the classic Canadian Maple Leaf is featured on the coin’s reverse. Later on, new elements were incorporated into the coin’s design as an added security feature. In 2013, a textured maple leaf was micro-laser-engraved onto a minute area over the coin’s Maple Leaf Side (reverse). A numeral mark that denotes the coin’s issuance year can also be seen in the center of this textured image under magnification. In 2015, radial lines were added to the background on both sides of the coin.
Significant Gold Maple Leaf Coins
On May 3, 2007, a special Gold Maple Leaf Coin called the Big Maple Leaf or the One Million Dollar Coin was introduced by the Royal Canadian Mint. This unique version of the coin bears a nominal face value of 1 million Canadian dollars and a metal value of over 3.5 million Canadian dollars during the same year. It measures up to 50cm in diameter and 3cm thick. As a special coin, it is no surprise that this coin weighs around 100kg and boasts a purity of 99.99%.
The Royal Canadian Mint Produced the first ever BML at their minting facility Ottawa. Later on, they produced five more BMLs with the intention of selling them to interested private individuals. The international entrepreneur Boris Fuchsmann purchased one of these coins and lent it to the Bode Museum in Germany back in 2010 where the coin remained on display until stolen.
Another special edition of the GML is the Olympic Maple Leaf that was issued thanks to an agreement between the Royal Canadian Mint and the International Olympic Committee. This agreement allowed the RCM to produce Gold Olympic Maple Leaf Coins and Silver Olympic Maple Leaf coins that feature the date of 2008 as well as various emblems of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.