The Royal Canadian Mint first released the Maple Leaf gold coin in 1979 with .999 pure gold content. In November 1982, the refining and minting process was enhanced and the coin was changed to .9999 pure gold.
The vast amount of gold dug up by miners during the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon led to the creation of the Royal Canadian Mint in 1908. The mint was an early pioneer in electrolytic refining, which passes an electric current through a solution that contains dissolved gold to separate the impurities from the pure gold.
At times, the Royal Canadian Mint has even achieved .99999 pure gold content, such as with the 1 oz Klondike Gold Coin.
The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Series is available in a variety of industry-standard denominations that include 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz, and also 1 Gram. The coins have face values according to their weight. For example, the 1 troy ounce coin carries a face value of $50 (CAD).
Many investors consider the Maple Leaf to be one of the world’s most beautiful. It is certainly one of the most recognizable. Until the 2024 mintage year, the obverse of the Gold Maple Leaf shows a silhouette portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The new obverse captures an effigy of His Majesty King Charles III.
It is very common to encounter the Queen Elizabeth obverse coins when buying secondary market coins. Different portraits were used as she progressed in age.
The reverse of the coins depicts the sugar maple leaf, a national symbol of Canada. Each Maple Leaf Gold coin is Canadian legal tender guaranteed by the government for its weight and purity.
What is the value of a Canadian 1 oz Gold Maple Leaf Coin?
While the 1 oz Gold Maple Leaf carries a nominal face value of $50 CAD, the value is based on the market price of gold. These coins retain their value relative to the spot gold price. The mintage numbers for the regular edition of the coin are typically over one million coins per year. The premium on newly minted coins includes the cost to refine, manufacture and distribute each coin.
The Mint continues to produce a number of special edition and commemorative gold coins. These coins typically have limited mintages and have gained the interest of coin collectors.
Based on collector demand, some of these coins can appreciate significantly in value based on their collectability and rarity.
Regardless of the metal, Maple Leaf Coin typically maintain their value relative to the gold spot price. When the time to comes to sell, one can usually find dealers offering a slight premium over melt. Depending on market conditions, secondary market Maple Leafs can be bought for around 2% over melt.