Canadian Gold Maple Leafs

Canadian Gold Maple Leafs History and Description: The Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coin is the official gold bullion coin of Canada and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The development of Canadian gold coins is due to the work of Walter Ott, the mint’s chief engraver. Ott’s vision was to produce a coin that would rival the appeal of what, at the time, was the world’s only one troy ounce gold bullion coin, the South African Krugerrand. The obverse side of the maple leaf gold coin pays tribute to Canada’s historic ties with Great Britain. It features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. While the association of Canada with British monarchy is now voluntary, the Royal Canadian Mint notes, “Canada is a commonwealth country, and the effigy of our monarch has appeared on every Canadian coin produced by the Mint since 1908.” The reverse side of the coin features the national symbol of Canada, the maple leaf. Purity: The maple leaf gold coin is now considered one of the purest gold regular-issue coins in the world. Most have a gold content of .9999 Millesimal fineness (24 carats), while some special-issue Canadian gold coins are rated .99999 fine. As such, the coin contains virtually no base metals at all, but consists only of gold originating from Canadian mines.