Canadian Gold Maple Leafs

Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Composition

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is considered to be 24-karats and .9999 pure gold. Since the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is 24-karat gold, it is also a softer coin and is more susceptible to scratching easily. The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is backed by the Royal Canadian Mint, who carries a lofty reputation concerning their cutting edge minting techniques. They were early adopters and innovators of many popular minting techniques. They also have kept the minting field competitive with innovations such as adding holograms to coins, using two metals to create a bi-metallic design.

Design History of the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf carries the same design from year to year but add other innovations, such as specific security features. The obverse always depicts an image of Queen Elizabeth. Depending on the year of the coin you may see different images of the Queen, as they have updated the design several times to show a more realistic view of the Queen at her current age. The 1988–1989 shows a 39-year-old Queen while the 1990–2004 a 64-year-old Queen and finally the 2005–present shows the 79 year old Queen.

The reverse was designed by artist Walter Ott and displays a sugar maple leaf, which has been designated the country's national emblem. The reverse also boasts of the coin's .9999 purity, which is something the Royal Canadian Mint is revered for.

Certified Canadian Gold Maple Leafs

When purchasing a Certified Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, there is information provided on the coin holder that is important to know. The first thing to notice is the coin's strike type:

• MS: Short for "Mint-State;" refers to coins that have never been in circulation and are the same condition as when they were originally produced. Mint State coins will receive a grade ranging from 60-70 on the Sheldon Numeric Scale.
• PF/PR: Abbreviation for "Proof;" refers to the method of coin manufacture, made for eye appeal among collectors.
• SP: A "specimen" coin is a combination of strike type (somewhere in the middle of Mint State and Proof).

A Certified Canadian Gold Maple Leaf (or any certified bullion coin) will most likely come in one of two grades:

• MS/PF70: Bullion coins that have kept their original mint luster and contain zero post production flaws.
• MS/PF69: Bullion coins that contain 2 or less minute imperfections but still carry their original mint luster.

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