The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf (GML) is a gold bullion coin that is issued annually by the Government of Canada. It is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The Gold Maple Leaf is legal tender with a face value of 50 Canadian dollars. The market value of the metal varies, depending on the spot price of gold. Having a .9999 millesimal fineness (24 karats), in some cases .99999, the coin is among the purest official bullion coins worldwide. The standard version has a weight of minimum 1 troy ounce (31.1 grams). Other sizes and denominations include: 1 gram, 1/25 oz. ($0.50), 1/20 oz. ($1), 1/10 oz. ($5), 1/4 oz. ($10) and 1/2 oz. ($20).

History

The coin was introduced in 1979. At the time the only competing bullion coins being minted were the Krugerrand (which was not widely available because of the economic boycott of apartheid-era South Africa) and the Austrian 100 Corona. Coins minted between 1979 and 1982 have a fineness of .999. On 3 May 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a Gold Maple Leaf coin with a nominal face value of $1 million and a metal value of over $3.5 million, referred to as a Big Maple Leaf. It measures 50 cm in diameter by 3 cm thick and has a mass of 100 kg, with a purity of 99.999%. On 26 March 2017, one of the six pieces was stolen from the Berlin Bode Museum; it has not been found as of 2021. It is assumed that it has been melted down for the gold. The Gold Maple Leaf's observe displays the profile of the Monarch of Canada while the reverse displays a maple leaf. In 2013 and 2015, new security features were introduced. In 2013, a laser-micro-engraved textured maple leaf was added on a small area of the reverse (Maple Leaf) side of the coin. In the centre of this mark is the numeral denoting the coin's year of issue, which is only visible under magnification. In 2015, the radial lines on the coin's background on both sides of the coin were added.

Specifications

For .99999 ("Five Nines") Pure Gold Maple Leafs, see Special issues below. The .9999 1982 Gold Maple Leafs began minting in November. Thus, most of the 1982 Gold Maple Leafs are .999 fine. Some dealers have complained about the production quality of the Gold Maples.

Special issues

99.999% Gold Maple Leaf

The gold Maple Leaf coin was .999 pure until 1982, when its purity was raised to .9999. Some coins are issued at a purity of .99999; this standard does not replace the Mint's .9999 Gold Maple Leaf coins, but is instead reserved for special editions. In 1999, the mint celebrated twenty years of the $100 Maple Leaf coin by issuing coins with a hologram, struck directly onto the coin's surface, rather than as a separate step.

Coloured Gold Maple Leaf

Hologram Gold Maple Leaf

Olympic Maple Leaf

The Royal Canadian Mint and the International Olympic Committee reached an agreement on Olympic Gold and Silver Maple Leaf coins on August 3, 2007, and the agreement allowed the RCM to strike bullion coins with the emblems of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The issue consists of two coins – one Gold Maple Leaf coin and a Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin; both coins feature the date of 2008. The RCM sold Olympic coins through all of its major business lines – bullion, circulation and numismatics.

Individual releases

Privy-marked Gold Maple Leaf

Maple Leaf 'Privy M7'

Other fractional Gold Maple Leaf

Bimetallic Maple Leaf

As a way of commemorating 25 years as an industry leader in bullion coins, the Royal Canadian Mint created a unique six-coin set. mint.ca It was a new bimetallic maple leaf, set in bullion finish (a brilliant relief against a parallel lined background). The six-coin set was the first to include the 1/25 oz Maple Leaf denomination. Each coin included a double-date of 1979–2004, and the 1 oz coin featured a commemorative privy mark. All coins were packaged in a black leather presentation case with a black velour insert, along with a certificate of authenticity. It was issued at a price of $2,495.95 and with a mintage of 839 sets.