Maple Leaf

The Maple Leaf, a coin with a recent but intense history

Canada is not only the iconic wilderness country celebrated in the fascinating Call of the Wild gold coin series. It is also a country with a rich subsoil, from which started the historic Klondike gold rush, one of the richest regions of the yellow metal at the time, but not the only one. First minted in 1978 by the Royal Canadian Mint, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is one of the best-known and most traded investment gold coins today.

The maple leaf that appears on the coins is symbolic of the vast forests, criss-crossed by powerful rivers and streams, where the first gold nuggets were found in the 19th century and which went on to turn Canada into one of the world's leading gold producers and exporters.

The Maple Leaf gold bullion in 1978, at its inception, was the only modern investment coin readily available. The gold Krugerrand certainly has the distinction of being the first true investment currency, but in the 1970s it was subject to significant restrictions by many western countries due to the apartheid regime. The Maple Leaf was therefore much easier to buy and find on the market.

The first gold Maple Leafs had a purity of 999/1000 (triple nine), but from 1982 they acquired an even higher grade of 999.9, an unusually high grade, and extremely attractive to the investor, on a par with a real bar. From 1988, silver and platinum Maple Leaf coins were also available, and from 2005 a palladium Maple Leaf version.

The characteristics of the Maple Leaf coins

The 1oz Maple Leaf bullion coin has a weight of 31.10 and a diameter of 30mm. The design on the coin has remained the same since it was first produced. The obverse shows the image of the maple leaf and indicates the coin's purity, material and weight specifications.

The reverse of the coin shows a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's current head of state with her name 'Elisabeth II'. The portrait of the Queen of England is updated at intervals of about ten to twelve years; the current design is the fifth portrait of Elizabeth II and was placed on Maple Leaf coins in 2015. In 2013, additional elements were added to the coin that made it even more difficult to counterfeit: a pattern of radial lines in the background of the main image, both on the obverse and reverse. On the obverse of the coin there is also a tiny maple leaf inside which the last two digits of the year of issue can be read, an element that is particularly complicated to counterfeit due to its small size.

Why buy a Maple Leaf gold bullion coin?

Maple Leaf gold bullion coins have characteristics that make them valuable to enthusiasts and extremely attractive to gold investors.

• They are investment gold coins and as such, as well as being VAT-free, they are a smart way to shelter your savings in a safe haven asset
• They have a pure gold content of 999.9/1000, equal to 24 carats
• Their design is unique and complex, making them easy to recognise, buy and sell
• Maple Leafs are particularly interesting coins from a historical point of view and make a perfect gift at important events and ceremonies
• Shipping is secure, confidential and insured.

The Royal Canadian Mint's guarantee for the purchase of Maple Leaf gold coins

The Royal Canadian Mint is the Mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under the Royal Canadian Mint Act.

The Mint produces all Canadian coins in circulation and some coins on behalf of other nations. It also designs and produces collector coins in precious metals: gold, silver, palladium and platinum coins, collector and commemorative coins, bullion coins, bars, medals and medallions. The Maple Leaf gold coins are the flagship of the Mint's production.

For the first fifty years from 1858, the coins were minted at the Royal Mint in London. When Canada became a nation in its own right, its need for coins increased. Consequently, a branch of the Royal Mint was built in Ottawa in 1901. Since then, the Mint's refinery has undergone several modifications and expansions.

It was only during the Great Depression that the Ottawa Mint negotiated its independence from the British Royal Mint. In 1931, the Ottawa Mint was renamed the Royal Canadian Mint and began reporting exclusively to the Department of Finance, eventually becoming a private organisation.

An advanced engineering research team is engaged full-time in research and development projects to ensure high standards and innovative technologies. The Royal Canadian Mint is a guarantee of quality and great attention to detail, factors that have made Maple Leafs so valuable and sought after by investors and savers around the world.

Gifting a gold coin: the Canadian Maple Leaf

Gifting a gold coin is a rapidly growing trend. Besides being a very valuable gift, it represents a form of investment in the future. In fact, the gold coin not only retains its value in terms of the price of the physical gold it contains, but also increases its value over time.

Classic jewellery, a classic example of a valuable gift, while containing precious metals, suffers depreciation, sometimes significant, due to use. In contrast, gold in coinage actually represents a reserve of cash to be used in case of need.

Also not to be underestimated is the convenience of buying the coin, which is exempt from VAT as it is investment gold.

Physical gold has always been the safe haven asset par excellence, its value historically increasing steadily and regularly.

Of all the historical gold coins, from Gold Pounds to Marengos, from collections such as Queen's Beasts to Australian Lunar Series to Gold Krugerrands, Maple Leafs remain a safe investment with a truly important story to tell and pass on.

How to sell back your Maple Leaf coins

You can disinvest your gold Maple Leafs at any time. Orovilla buys investment gold coins and all common gold coins, appraise coin collections and rare and collector gold coins.

At the time of purchase we appraise the coins, check them carefully for gold content, authenticity and condition.

The possibility of selling physical gold in any form and state of preservation, at any time and place, is its advantage over other forms of investment.