Canadian Gold Maple Leafs

Canadian Gold Maples Leafs at BGAC

The Royal Canadian Mint is a global leader in the production of gold bullion. In fact, the Royal Canadian Mint is one of the few sovereign mints to produce both gold bullion coins and gold bullion bars. The most famous product line from Canada’s sovereign mint is the iconic Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, a coin with decades of history.

Production History

When the Royal Canadian Mint introduced the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf in 1979, it was in direct response to the dominance of the South African Gold Krugerrand at the time. With the debut of the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf in 1979, the program only the second major gold bullion coin series in the world.

The rollout of coins in the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Series took place over several decades. Currently, the Royal Canadian Mint offers the following weights for the Gold Maple Leaf:

• 1 oz
• 1/2 oz
• 1/4 oz 
• 1/10 oz
• 1/20 oz
• 1 Gram

While there are six weights available, the history of each of these weights is unique. The 1 oz gold coin is the only one that has been available annually as of 1979. The 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz gold coins were introduced in November 1982. In 1986, the mint added the 1/2 oz gold coin. The first 1/20 oz gold coin was struck in 1993. The 1 Gram gold coin is the newest addition and debuted in 2014. Notably, the coins were originally available with .999 pure gold content. It wasn’t until November 1982 that the Royal Canadian Mint enhanced the purity of the coins to 24-karat (.9999) pure gold.

Monarch Portraits

Over much of the course of the program’s history, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II featured on the obverse of the coins. In fact, from 1979 to 2023, Queen Elizabeth II was the only monarch to feature on the obverse of the coins. During this period of time, three different effigies of the Queen graced the coins:

• 1979-1989: Arnold Machin’s second-generation effigy of Elizabeth II at the age of 39, as featured on Royal Mint coins in the UK, was on the obverse of Gold Maples
• 1990-2004: In 1990, Dora de Pedery-Hunt became the first Canadian to create a monarch bust of Canadian coins with her third-generation effigy of Elizabeth II that was exclusive to RCM coins
• 2004-2023: In 2004, Susanna Blunt created a fourth-generation effigy of Elizabeth II at the age of 79 for the Royal Canadian Mint
• 2024: As of 2024, His Majesty King Charles III features on the obverse of Canadian Maple Leafs as designed by Steven Rosati

Since the debut of the program in 1979, only one design has graced the reverse. Walter Ott created an image of the sugar maple leaf for the reverse of the coins in 1979. This symbol has been used on all gold, silver, platinum, and palladium versions of the coins since 1979.

Special Gold Maples

Over the decades, special versions of the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf have been issued at times. The most notable special issues have been those that were struck in .99999 pure gold, colloquially referred to as 5-nines gold. The most famous of these was the 2007 release of just six .99999 Gold Maples that contains 100 Kilograms of pure gold. Notably, one of these coins was on display at Berlin’s Bode Museum and was stolen from the museum in March 2017.

Other Canadian Gold

The Royal Canadian Mint is famous for its Gold Maple Leafs, but the mint also produces a range of other Canadian gold bullion coins and bars. Examples of these other programs include nature-themed coins, such as the Animal Portraits Series with its 1/4 oz reverse proof gold issues and the Klondike Gold Rush Series with 1 oz .99999 pure gold coins. 

Invest in Canadian Gold with BGASC

If you have any questions about Canadian gold, please feel free to reach out to BGASC. You can call us at 888-992-4272, chat with us online, or email us directly.