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The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is the official bullion gold coin of Canada. It is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. It is the purest gold coin of regular issue in the world, with a gold content of .9999 millesimal fineness (24 carats). That is, it contains virtually no base metals at all – only gold exclusively from gold mines in Canada. Coins minted between 1979 and 1981 have gold content of .999.

The coin was first introduced in 1979. At that time, the only available bullion coin was the Krugerrand, which was not widely available because of an economic boycott of apartheid-era South Africa.

The coin is offered in 1/20 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations and is guaranteed to contain the stated amount (in troy ounces) of .9999 fine gold (24 karat). The coins have legal tender status in Canada, but as is often the case with bullion coins, the face values of these coins (C$5, C$10, C$20 and C$50) are purely symbolic and do not reflect their true value. At current market value the coins are worth and sell for about $89, $204, $394, and $754 USD respectively.

The 1/20, 1/10, 1/4, and 1/2 troy oz coins are identical in design to the 1 troy oz coin except for the markings on the obverse and reverse sides that indicate the weight and face value of the coin. In 1994, 1/15 oz ($2.00 face value) gold and platinum coins were issued, possibly for use in jewelry. They were not very successful, and so 1994 remains the only year in which 1/15 oz gold and platinum bullion coins were produced.

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 dollars.

All denominations are in troy ounces.

Gold Maple Leaf


Years Denominations Purity Obverse
1979–1981 1 oz 999
1982–1985 1 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz 9999
1986–1989 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz 9999
1990–1992 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz 9999
1993 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz 9999
1994 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/15 oz, 1/20 oz 9999
1995–2004 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz 9999
2005–present 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz 9999

Platinum Maple Leaf


Years Denominations Purity Obverse
1988–1989 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz 9995 39-year-old Queen
1990–1992 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz 9995 64-year-old Queen
1993 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz 9995
1994 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/15 oz, 1/20 oz 9995
1995–1999 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz 9995
2002 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz 9995

Note: No platinum maple leafs have been minted since 2002.

Silver Maple Leaf


Main article: Canadian Silver Maple Leaf

Years Denominations Purity Obverse
1988–1989 1 oz 9999 39-year-old Queen
1990–2004 1 oz 9999 64-year-old Queen
2005–present 1 oz 9999 79-year-old Queen

References


See also


External links


Coins of Canada | Gold coins

メイプルリーフ金貨

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Canadian Gold Maple Leaf".

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