Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
Overview
The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf is a silver bullion coin issued annually by the government of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The coin has been minted by the Royal Canadian Mint
Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. The Mint also designs and manufactures: precious and base metal collector coins; gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion coins; medals, as well as medallions and...
(R.C.M.) since 1988.
The face value
Face value
The Face value is the value of a coin, stamp or paper money, as printed on the coin, stamp or bill itself by the minting authority. While the face value usually refers to the true value of the coin, stamp or bill in question it can sometimes be largely symbolic, as is often the case with bullion...
of the 1 oz coin is 5 Canadian dollar
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
s, the highest among international silver bullion coins. During the month of February 2008, the market value of the coin was approximately 20 Canadian dollars. The purity of the coin is 99.99% silver
Millesimal fineness
Millesimal fineness is a system of denoting the purity of platinum, gold and silver alloys by parts per thousand of pure metal by mass in the alloy. For example, an alloy containing 75% gold is denoted as "750". Many European countries use decimal hallmark stamps Millesimal fineness is a system of...
, also the highest among other bullion issues which have a 99.9% standard.
The coin generally always features a maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
and generally consists of 1 troy ounce
Troy ounce
The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg...
(31.1 g) of silver.
Unanswered Questions
Encyclopedia
| Silver Maple Leaf (Canada) | |
|---|---|
| Face Value: | $5 CAN |
| Mass: | 1 troy ounce Troy weight Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals, gemstones, and black powder.There are 12 troy ounces per troy pound, rather than the 16 ounces per pound found in the more common avoirdupois system. The troy ounce is 480 grains, compared with the avoirdupois ounce,... |
| Composition: | 99.99% Ag Silver Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal... |
| Diameter: | 38mm |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| Years of Minting: | 1988–present |
| Reverse | |
| Design: | Maple Leaf Maple leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000... |
| Designer: | Dora de Pedery-Hunt Dora de Pedery-Hunt Dora de Pedery-Hunt, CM, O.Ont was an artist who designed various coins and medals and was awarded the Order of Canada. On September 29, 2008, she died from colorectal cancer.... |
| Design Date: | 2009 |
| Obverse | |
| Design: | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer: | Susanna Blunt Susanna Blunt Susanna Blunt is a Canadian portrait artist who designed the most recent portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the current Canadian coinage, which began in 2003. She was born in 1941. in Harbin, China, the daughter of an English banker. Blunt started her studies at the Banff School of Fine Arts as a... |
| Design Date: | 2009 |
The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf is a silver bullion coin issued annually by the government of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The coin has been minted by the Royal Canadian Mint
Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. The Mint also designs and manufactures: precious and base metal collector coins; gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion coins; medals, as well as medallions and...
(R.C.M.) since 1988.
The face value
Face value
The Face value is the value of a coin, stamp or paper money, as printed on the coin, stamp or bill itself by the minting authority. While the face value usually refers to the true value of the coin, stamp or bill in question it can sometimes be largely symbolic, as is often the case with bullion...
of the 1 oz coin is 5 Canadian dollar
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
s, the highest among international silver bullion coins. During the month of February 2008, the market value of the coin was approximately 20 Canadian dollars. The purity of the coin is 99.99% silver
Millesimal fineness
Millesimal fineness is a system of denoting the purity of platinum, gold and silver alloys by parts per thousand of pure metal by mass in the alloy. For example, an alloy containing 75% gold is denoted as "750". Many European countries use decimal hallmark stamps Millesimal fineness is a system of...
, also the highest among other bullion issues which have a 99.9% standard.
The coin generally always features a maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
and generally consists of 1 troy ounce
Troy ounce
The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg...
(31.1 g) of silver. Annual variations for the coin in past have included proof
Proof coinage
Proof coinage means special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the dies and for archival purposes, but nowadays often struck in greater numbers specially for coin collectors . Many countries now issue them....
releases (1989 only), privy mark
Privy mark
A privy mark was originally a small mark or differentiation in the design of a coin for the purpose of identifying the mint, moneyer, or some other aspect of the coin's production or origin, for control purposes. Nowadays it is mainly used as a design and marketing feature....
s, a coloured maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
(with a design different from the regular maple leaf), holographic enhancements and several differing designs, such as a 2009 issue commemorating the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The one universal element in all silver maple leaf coins is the phrase "Fine Silver 1 oz Argent Pur" along the bottom of the reverse of the coin.
Several notable issues have been released over the life of the series. A single-issue 10 oz version was produced in 1998 to mark the 10th anniversary of the coin series. In 1999, all Silver Maple Leaf coins that were issued came with a privy mark to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the RCM Maple Leaf Program. The following year, the coins featured a Privy Mark with Fireworks and the number 2000. Another Silver Maple Leaf was issued to commemorate the Millennium. The coins were double dated 1999 and 2000.
Silver Maple Leafs differ from their Canadian Gold
Canadian Gold Maple Leaf
The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is the official bullion gold coin of Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The brainchild of Walter Ott, it is one of the purest gold regular-issue coins in the world with a gold content of .9999 millesimal fineness , with some special issues .99999 fine...
and Platinum Maple Leaf
Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf
The Platinum Maple Leaf is a platinum coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint between 1988 and 2002, and reintroduced in 2009 . The coin was offered in 1/20 oz, 1/15 oz , 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations, all of which are marked as containing .9995 pure platinum...
counterparts in that collector demand generates prices well above and beyond bullion value. In particular, the 1996 and 1997 versions fetched very high prices due to limited mintages (for example, in 1997 just under 101,000 Maple Leafs were minted, in comparison with more than 1.2 million minted in 1999 and the record 17.8 million minted for 2010).
Some of the privy marked Maple Leafs were available only in Europe. For the first time in 2009, the Silver Maple Leaf coins were not packaged in Mylar by the Royal Canadian Mint. Due to the high demand, the Silver Maple Leaf was packaged in tubes of 25.
Obverse: The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. There are three different versions, a young head version, an old head version, and an older head version. The year of issue and the face value of 5 dollars is also displayed on this side.
Reverse: Picture of a maple leaf. On some variations there are also a small privy mark on the lower half of the coin or colour enhancement.
Silver Maple Leaf
| Year | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 1,062,000 |
| 1989 | 3,332,200 |
| 1990 | 1,708,800 |
| 1991 | 644,300 |
| 1992 | 343,800 |
| 1993 | 1,133,900 |
| 1994 | 889,946 |
| 1995 | 326,244 |
| 1996 | 250,445 |
| 1997 | 100,970 |
| 1998 | 591,359 |
| 1999 | 1,229,442 |
| 1999-2000 dual date | 300,000 |
| 2000 | 403,652 |
| 2001 | 398,563 |
| 2002 | 576,196 |
| 2003 | 684,750 |
| 2004 | 680,925 |
| 2005 | 955,694 |
| 2006 | 2,464,727 |
| 2007 | 3,526,052 |
| 2008 | 7,909,161 |
| 2009 | 9,727,592 |
| 2010 | 17,799,992 |
| 2011 | N/A |
Coloured Silver Maple Leaf
| Year | Description | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Autumn (Autumn Red) | Debbie Adams | 49,709 | $34.95 |
| 2002 | Spring (Summer Green) | N/A | 29,509 | $34.95 |
| 2003 | Summer (Sugar Maple) | Stan Witten | 29,416 | $34.95 |
| 2004 | Winter (Red Maple) | Stan Witten | 26,848 | $39.95 |
| 2005 | Bigleaf Maple | Stan Witten | 27,000 | $39.95 |
| 2006 | Silver Maple | Stan Witten | 20,000 | $45.95 |
| 2007 | Sugar Maple | Stan Witten | 20,000 | $49.95 |
Hologram Silver Maple Leaf
| Year | Theme | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Maple of Good Fortune | N/A | 29,817 | $59.99 | |
| 2003 | 15th Anniversary of the Silver Maple Leaf | RCM Staff | 28,947 | $149.95 | 5 Coin Set – 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz |
| 2003 | Maple of Good Fortune | N/A | 29,731 | $39.99 | |
| 2005 | Maple of Hope | Toan Nguyen | 19,888 | $39.95 | |
Olympic Maple Leaf
| Year | Theme | Mintage |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Inukshuk | 937,839 |
| 2009 | Thunderbird | 569,048 |
| 2010 | Ice Hockey | 79,278 |
Privy Mark Silver Maple Leaf
| Year | Privy Mark | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 90th Anniversary of the RCM | Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 13,025 | N/A | Sold by RCM |
| 1998 | RCMP | Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | Made for Canada Post to Commemorate the Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
| 1998 | Year of the Tiger Tiger (zodiac) The Tiger , is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Tiger is associated with the earthly branch symbol 寅.- Years and the Five Elements :... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | 1st coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 1998 | Titanic | Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 26,000 | $29.95 | Made for Dillon Gage |
| 1999 | Year of the Rabbit Rabbit (zodiac) The Chinese Year of the Rabbit is actually the Chinese Year of the Hare, as China has seven native species of hares and no native species of rabbits. The Chinese applied their word for hare to the first rabbits to be taken to China, and the word is now erroneously back-translated into English as... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | 2nd coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 1999 - 2000 | Fireworks | N/A | 298,775 | N/A | Dual Dated |
| 2000 | Fireworks | N/A | 403,652 | N/A | |
| 2000 | Expo Hanover | Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 15,000 | N/A | Only released in Europe |
| 2000 | Year of the Dragon Dragon (zodiac) The Dragon , is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar, and the only animal that is legendary... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | 3rd coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2001 | Year of the Snake Snake (zodiac) The Snake is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Snake is associated with the earthly branch symbol 巳.-Years and the Five Elements:... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | 4th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2002 | Year of the Horse Horse (zodiac) The Horse is the seventh of the 12 animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Horse is associated with the earthly branch symbol 午.- Years and the Five Elements :... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | 5th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2003 | Year of the Sheep Sheep (zodiac) The Goat is the eighth sign of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Goat is associated with the earthly branch symbol 未.- Years and the Five Elements :... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | 6th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2004 | Alphonse Desjardins Alphonse Desjardins (co-operator) Gabriel-Alphonse Desjardins , born in Lévis, Quebec, was the co-founder of the Caisses Populaires Desjardins , a forerunner of North American credit unions and community banks.- Early life :... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 15,000 | $39.95 | Sold by La Caisse Desjardins |
| 2004 | D-Day D-Day D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 12,485 | $39.95 | Included Certificate of Authenticity |
| 2004 | Year of the Monkey Monkey (zodiac) The Monkey is the ninth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Monkey is associated with the earthly branch symbol 申.-Years and the five elements:... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 25,000 | N/A | 7th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2005 | Dutch Tulip | Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 3,500 | $45.95 Euros | Made for Royal Dutch Mint to Commemorate the Liberation of the Netherlands |
| 2005 | Victory in Europe | Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 7,000 | $39.95 | Sold in US by Jerry Morgan |
| 2005 | Victory in Japan | Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 7,000 | $39.95 | Sold in US by Jerry Morgan |
| 2005 | Year of the Rooster Rooster (zodiac) The Rooster is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Rooster is represented by the earthly branch character 酉.- Years and associated Five Elements :... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 15,000 | N/A | 8th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2006 | Year of the Dog Dog (zodiac) The Dog is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dog is associated with the earthly branch symbol 戌... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 10,000 | N/A | 9th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2007 | Year of the Pig Pig (zodiac) The Pig , is the last of the 12 animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Pig is associated with the earthly branch Hai .In Chinese culture, the pig is associated with fertility and virility... |
Walter Ott, RCM Engravers | 8,000 | N/A | 10th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2007 | F12 | N/A | 5,000 | N/A | Fabulous 12 |
| 2008 | F12 | N/A | 5,000 | N/A | Fabulous 12 |
| 2008 | Year of the Rat Rat (zodiac) The Rat is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Rat is associated with the earthly branch symbol 子... |
N/A | 8,000 | N/A | 11th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2009 | Year of the Ox Ox (zodiac) The Ox is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Ox is denoted by the earthly branch character 丑... |
N/A | 8,000 | N/A | 12th coin in Chinese Zodiac series |
| 2009 | F12 | N/A | 5,000 | N/A | Fabulous 12 |
| 2009 | London's Tower Bridge | N/A | 75,000 | N/A | released by www.CoinInvestDirect.com in Europe only |
| 2009 | Brandenburg Gate | 50,000 | N/A | N/A | released by www.CoinInvestDirect.com in Europe only |
| 2010 | F15 | N/A | 5,000 | N/A | Fabulous 15 |
| 2011 | F15 | N/A | 5,000 | N/A | Fabulous 15 |
| 2012 | Leaning Tower of Pisa | N/A | 50,000 | N/A | released by www.CoinInvestDirect.com in Europe only |
Privy Mark Sets
| Year | Description | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Privy Mark Set | RCM Staff | 13,859 | $99.95 | 5 Coin Set – 1 oz, ½ oz, ¼ oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz |
| 2004 | Zodiac Set | RCM Staff | 5,000 | $368.88 | 12 coin set - each coin in the set carries one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Commissioned by Universal Coins from Ottawa,Canada. |
Anniversary Maple Leafs
| Year | Description | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 10th Anniversary, Silver Maple Leaf | Royal Canadian Mint Engravers | 13,533 | $200.00 | 10 ounce coin |
| 2003 | 15th Anniversary, Silver Maple Leaf | Royal Canadian Mint Engravers | 28,947 | $149.95 | 5 Coin Set – 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz; hologram design on reverse |
| 2008 | 20th Anniversary, Silver Maple Leaf | Royal Canadian Mint Engravers | 10,000 | $74.95 | Features a gold plated Maple Leaf |
Silver Maple Leaf Special Issues
| Year | Description | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Arctic Foxes | Claude D'Angelo | 13,694 | $89.95 | 4 Coin Set – 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz |
| 2005 | Lynx | Michael Dumas | 7,942 | $89.95 | 4 Coin Set – 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz |
Canadian Wildlife Series
| Year | Description | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Silver Timber Wolf | William Woodruff | 1,000,000 | Bullion value | 1 oz coin |
| 2011 | Silver Grizzly | William Woodruff | 1,000,000 | Bullion value | 1 oz coin |
| 2012 | Silver Cougar | William Woodruff | 1,000,000 | Bullion value | 1 oz coin |
Other Silver Maple Leaf Coins
| Year | Description | Artist | Mintage | Issue Price | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 15th Anniversary of the One Dollar Loon | Royal Canadian Mint Staff | 29,970 | $39.95 | $5 Loon |
| 2004 | Sambro Island Lighthouse | Hedly Doty and William Woodruff | 18,476 | $69.95 | 1 oz coin |
| 2005 | Toronto Island Lighthouse | Brian Hughes and William Woodruff | 13,812 | $69.95 | N/A |
| 2006 | Silver Timber Wolf | William Woodruff | 106,800 | Bullion value | 1/2 oz coin |
| 2010 | Silver Piedfort | Royal Canadian Mint Engravers | 9,000 | $79.99 | 1 oz coin |
See also
- Precious metalPrecious metalA precious metal is a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high economic value.Chemically, the precious metals are less reactive than most elements, have high lustre, are softer or more ductile, and have higher melting points than other metals...
- American Silver EagleAmerican Silver EagleThe American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the one-troy ounce size, which has a nominal face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of 99.9%...
- Canadian Gold Maple LeafCanadian Gold Maple LeafThe Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is the official bullion gold coin of Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The brainchild of Walter Ott, it is one of the purest gold regular-issue coins in the world with a gold content of .9999 millesimal fineness , with some special issues .99999 fine...
- Canadian Platinum Maple LeafCanadian Platinum Maple LeafThe Platinum Maple Leaf is a platinum coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint between 1988 and 2002, and reintroduced in 2009 . The coin was offered in 1/20 oz, 1/15 oz , 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations, all of which are marked as containing .9995 pure platinum...