Canadian Gold Coins

Purchasing Canadian Gold Bullion Coins

Gold coins are perhaps the most valuable asset in the portfolio of any investor, and collectors look for this coveted yellow metal when searching for the best pieces to add to their personal collections. Gold is quite literally the standard upon which the precious metals industry operates. Countless mints around the globe, both sovereign and private, produce gold bullion options for numismatists and collectors alike.

Few of those gold coin programs are more prominent and sought after than the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin from the Royal Canadian Mint. Today, the royal Canadian Mint strikes more than 1 billion coins annually. In addition to its popular Canadian Maple Leaf series of gold, silver, and platinum bullion coins, the mint also strikes currency for as many as a dozen other countries.

About the Canadian Maple Leaf Coins

The official bullion coin series of the Royal Canadian Mint and the Canadian nation, the Canadian Maple Leaf is one of the world’s most popular coin programs. Introduced for the first time in 1979 as the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, these were the first coins in the world to rival the South African Krugerrand in terms of gold bullion demand. No other gold coin, aside from the Krugerrand, had ever been offered strictly for investment purposes.

The obverse of all Canadian Maple Leafs, whether struck in silver, gold, platinum or palladium feature the right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. On the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, three different incarnations of Her Majesty’s profile have appeared. These include the following used to date:

• 1979 to 1989 – The image of a 39-year-old Queen Elizabeth II.
• 1990 to 2004 – A depiction of Queen Elizabeth II at 64 years of age.
• 2005 to Present – Susanna Blunt’s depiction of Her Majesty at the age of 79.

The reverse of all Canadian Maple Leaf coins features the image of the sugar maple leaf. Used on the reverse since the introduction of the gold version in 1979, this image has never changed. The only additions have been security measures, notably radial lines and a microscopic maple leaf privy.

Background on the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf

Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins debuted with .999 pure gold content, but were enhanced beginning in November 1982 to include .9999 pure gold. At times, the Royal Canadian Mint has even achieved .99999 pure gold content in its Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins. Each Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin is available in 1 oz, ½ oz, ¼ oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz, and now 1 Gram. The coins have face values according to their fractional weight, based upon the $50 (CAD) value of the 1 oz. coin.

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is so popular that the Royal Canadian Mint has launched numerous variants of the coin, including but not limited to:

• 10^th Anniversary coin in 1989.
• 125^th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mint in 1997.
• 20^th Anniversary coin in 1999.
• 25^th Anniversary coin in 2004.
• Hologram Gold Maple Leaf coins in 1999, 2001, and 2009.
• Colorized Gold Maple Leaf in 1999 (20^th anniversary edition) and 2010 to celebrate the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
• Numerous 99.999% Gold Maple Leafs (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, etc.)

Recent Mintage Figures for Royal Canadian Mint Gold

Sales of Royal Canadian Mint gold, anchored by the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, were red hot in 2016. The second quarter of 2016 saw gold bullion sales rise 53% compared to Q2 2015. Sales of gold bullion in Q2 2015 were 163,800 ounces, while Q2 2016 had sales of 251,400 ounces of gold bullion. The story was the same for the first half of 2016 compared to the same time period in 2015.

The Royal Canadian Mint sold 342,900 ounces of gold in 2015, and 464,000 in 2016’s first half. That’s an increase of 35.3%. Unlike silver, which had a record first quarter of 2016, gold bullion sales in Q2 2016 were up from Q1 2016, which had sales of 212,600 ounces.

Dating back to 2008, the RCM has averaged 1 million ounces of gold bullion sold annually. Sales for the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin and gold bullion bars in 2015 totaled just under 1 million, at 953,000 ounces. While that was a 34% increase from 2014’s gold bullion sales, it marked the second straight year of sub-1 million sales for gold. However, the 481,200 ounces of gold moved to date in 2016 puts the mint on track to once again push towards its average of 1 million ounces for 2016.

Availability of Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is struck annually in bullion and proof versions. The vast majority of Gold Maple Leaf coins arrive each year in BU condition. Coins in BU condition exhibit no signs of wear and tear, though you may notice a range of minor flaws including breaks in the luster, spotted surfaces, and contact marks from the coining process.

Investors and collectors buying gold often seek out those coins which have been certified by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation or Professional Coin Grading Service. JM Bullion carries both bullion and proof certified coins, including in the Gold Maple Leaf range.

The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, or NGC for short, was founded in 1987 as a third-party coin grading service that is independent of any private or sovereign mint. Currently, the NGC employs 30 full-time coin certifiers who are prohibited by contract from buying or selling coins commercially to ensure they remain impartial graders of coins.

Known formally as the Professional Coin Grading Service, the PCGS was founded in 1985 to provide professional, accurate grading and certification for coins. Together with the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the PCGS is one of the two most respected certification services in the world. The PCGS is located in the United States and offers certification on a variety of bullion and proof coins, including Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins.

Certification Information

Prior to the introduction of a numeric scale, rare coin grading was completed based solely upon the physical condition of the coin with just three general categories to include a coin in. Prior to the 1980s, rare coin collectors had only three broad categories to place coins into based upon their condition. These included:

• Good: to qualify, these coins had to maintain most of the details of the design intact.
• Fine: to qualify, these coins had to exhibit clear detail and some of its luster on the surfaces.
• Uncirculated: to qualify, these coins should never have been in general circulation and still exhibit their full mint state condition.

The problem that was created by this system of definitions is that collectors and dealers eventually realized that some Fine coins, for example, were finer than others. In refining the Sheldon Scale and applying it to modern gold bullion coins, the PCGS and NGC found that many buyers were often taken advantage of because of the difficulty in telling the difference between coins of the same category.

The PCGS and NGC both use the Sheldon Numeric Scale created in 1948 by Dr. William Sheldon. Dr. Sheldon was a famed numismatist who developed a scale ranging from 1 to 70 to assign a grade and value to the condition of any coin. A coin with the grade of 1 is the lowest, while 70 represents the highest. In use, a coin with a 70 grade is considered to have a value 70 times that of coin graded 1.

As you browse the gold coins for sale online at JM Bullion, you’ll notice many of the following terms associated with certified Gold Maple Leaf coins:

• MS 70: These coins are considered perfect specimens. You’ll find the full, original mint luster present and notice a complete lack of detracting flaws on any of the surfaces of the coin.
• MS 69: Considered near-perfect specimens, these coins exhibit their full, original mint luster as well. However, you’ll also find a maximum of two minor detracting flaws that range from miniscule hairlines to microscopic contact marks. These flaws are found only outside of the primary focal areas of the coin.
• PR/PF 70: These proof coins are considered perfect specimens. You’ll find the full, original mint luster present and notice a complete lack of detracting flaws on any of the surfaces of the coin.
• PR/PF 69: Considered near-perfect proof specimens, these coins exhibit their full, original mint luster as well. However, you’ll also find a maximum of two minor detracting flaws that range from miniscule hairlines to microscopic contact marks. These flaws are found only outside of the primary focal areas of the coin.
• FS/ER: Short for First Strike and Early Release, these designations are used for coins that arrive at the respective PCGS or NGC depository (or an approved third-party depository) within the first 30 days of the release date set by the production mint for a given coin. These coins ship with special First Strike Labels courtesy of the PCGS, or Early Release labels from the NGC.
• DCAM/UCAM: Deep Cameo, or Ultra-Cameo for NGC coins, is a term reserved only for certified proof coins. DCAM/UCAM refers to a proof specimen that has a strong, frosted finish on the design set with a contrasting deeply-mirrored, clear background field. This effect gives the impression that the design is floating above the surface area of the coin.

History of the Royal Canadian Mint

Originally founded in 1908, the Royal Canadian Mint has today grown to become one of the world’s preeminent sovereign mints. Canadian currency was originally, from 1858 until 1908, struck by the Royal Mint in London. The growth of Canada as a nation in its own right, combined with the discovery of gold and other precious metals in the Yukon Territories, eventually facilitated the need for the nation to have its own mint.

The Royal Canadian Mint operated for nearly 70 years with only its original Ottawa coining facility. In 1976, a secondary mint location opened in Winnipeg, nearly 16 years after the government was advised of a need to expand capacity. At one point in time, the Royal Canadian Mint had to turn to the United States Mint to produce circulation currency for the nation.

Purchasing Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins from JM Bullion

When you buy gold from JM Bullion, you have a multitude of options for payment methods. We gladly accept credit/debit cards for all purchase from our online catalog. You may also pay for your silver and gold bullion products with a paper check, bank wire transfer, ACH, or Pay Pal fund transfer.

Paper checks do take the longest time to clear authorization, averaging four to six business days. Credit and debit card purchases clear in one business day on average, while PayPal and bank wire transactions often clear immediately. These options release your purchases to our fulfillment queue the quickest, allowing us to expedite the process of getting your new precious metal products to your door.

When it comes to delivery, JM Bullion is proud to offer free shipping and insurance on all purchases over $199. Your package will ship in discreet boxes courtesy of the United States Postal Service or UPS. We’ll provide you with a tracking number for your shipment within 24 hours of shipping. Should your package become lost, suffer damage, or prove to be the incorrect items we’ll work with your to correct the issue. JM Bullion’s offer of insurance covers a full refund of your purchase price if your products are lost or damaged. In the event we still have items in stock, we will replace lost or damaged items.

If you have any questions about these amazing silver products from some of the Royal Canadian Mint’s other collections, please feel free to reach out to JM Bullion. Our associates are available to you on the phone at 800-276-6508. You can also live chat with us during business hours through our online service or send us an email anytime with your questions. Additionally, you can visit our homepage any time and find the current price of gold and silver with ease!