The 1996 issue of the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Coin from the Royal Canadian Mint marked a third straight year of declining mintage of the coins. Sinking demand for silver bullion was largely the result of rising silver prices at a time when stock markets were strong, leaving many investors to seek a higher yield from market investments rather than silver coins. Today, 1996 1 oz Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Coins are available to you online from JM Bullion.
Coin Highlights:
- Arrives in protective plastic flip!
- 9th release of the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin!
- Total mintage of 250,445 coins in 1996!
- Contains 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure silver in BU condition.
- Face value of $5 (CAD) is fully backed by Canada’s government.
- The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II features on the obverse.
- Canada’s national symbol, the sugar maple leaf, is found on the reverse.
Silver Maple Leaf coins struggled in the mid- to late-1990s amid booming stock markets and rising silver prices. From a high point in 1993, the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins sunk each year until 1997. At the same time, silver prices had risen and held steady on higher ground through the middle of the 1990s.
Silver entered 1996 in the low $5.00 per ounce range, holding an average throughout the year of $5.20 per ounce. Silver prices did, however, cover a wider range throughout the year from a low of $4.71 per ounce to a high of $5.82 per ounce.
The 1996 1 oz Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin had a very low mintage of 250,445 coins, down modestly from the 1995 issue of the coins but much lower than the 1994 release. From 1993 to the release of these 1996 Silver Maple Leafs, mintage had fallen some 800,000 coins in total.
On the obverse of Canadian Silver Maple Leafs is the image of Queen Elizabeth II. The portrait of Her Majesty featured on these coins debuted on Canadian currency in 1990, and is known as the third-generation portrait of the Queen for Canadian coins. Created by Dora de Pedery-Hunt, this image was on Canadian bullion and circulation coins through 2002.
The reverse of 1996 1 oz Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins bears the image of the sugar maple leaf. Throughout three centuries, the sugar maple leaf was consistently held up as a symbol of the Canadian nation. The Maple Leaf literary annual published its 1848 edition with an announcement that the maple leaf had been chosen as the national emblem for the country.
Please feel free to contact JM Bullion when you have questions about silver for sale. Our customer service team is available at 800-276-6508, online through our live chat, or by simply sending us an email.