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Canadian Gold Coins & Bars


Royal Canadian Mint Gold at Provident Metals

Among the more popular mints in the world is the Royal Canadian Mint. Originally founded in 1908, the mint has a strong history of producing some of the best gold bullion products on the market. From their popular Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins to their unique bars, learn all about the gold offered by the RCM right here, at Provident Metals.

Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins

The most popular gold product not only offered by the Royal Canadian Mint, but in general, is the Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coin. These coins are the official bullion coin series of the Royal Canadian Mint. The coin program debuted in 1979 and was the first coin to rival the South African Krugerrand. Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins and Krugerrands were the first two gold coins to be offered strictly for investment purposes.

New coins in the series are released annually, however, the Royal Canadian Mint also offers unique anniversary coins or special privy coins in the series.

Design

What makes these coins iconic is the reverse design. The reverse of every Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coin features a sugar maple leaf. This design was created by Walter Ott and has been used since the inception of the coin program back in 1979. The overall image has never changed; however, there have been additions made over the years such as security measures, radial lines, and privy marks.

While the obverse of these coins has always featured the reigning British monarch, multiple variations have been featured over the years.

  • 1979-1989: Displays the Queen at the age of 39.
  • 1990-2004: Designed by Dora de Pédery-Hunt – features the Queen at the age of 64. This was the first effigy of Her Majesty to be used on Canadian coinage that was also designed by a Canadian.
  • 2005-2023: Designed by Susanna Blunt – showcases the Queen at the age of 79.
  • 2024: Designed by Steven Rosati – features the effigy of King Charles III. This is the first time someone other than Queen Elizabeth II has been shown on the obverse.

History

Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins debuted in 1979, originally with .999 pure gold content.  In November of 1982, they were enhanced to include .9999 pure gold. At times, the Royal Canadian Mint has even issued coins with a purity of .99999 gold.

A lot of factors led to the release of this gold bullion coin program.  A Bull Market for gold in the 1970s inspired more sovereign mints to consider creating gold bullion coins. This was parlayed with the fact that South African Krugerrands weren’t readily available throughout North America and Europe at the time. The Royal Canadian Mint was the first to capitalize on this to create the second gold coin aimed at investors.

Each annual release features a 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/20 oz, and a 1 Gram version. The face value of these coins are $50, $20, $10, $5, $1, and $0.50 (CAD) respectively. The series debuted in 1979 with just a 1 oz version. The 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz were added in 1982. The 1/2 oz was introduced in 1986. The 1/20 oz debuted in 1993 with the 1 Gram being introduced in 2014. Notably, a 1/15 oz was made available for one year only in 1994 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the series.

Unique Versions of Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins

The Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Series is among the most diverse coin programs in the world. Several unique coins have been released in this series such as special anniversary coins and special privy mark coins. Some of the more popular options are the following:

  • Anniversary Coins: The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Series has released anniversary coins celebrating the overall series as well as the RCM.
  • 999% Coins: The RCM periodically releases special .99999 coins with limited mintage. The most popular is the two-hundred-dollar coins.
  • Single Source Coins: Brand new series that debuted in 2022 featuring Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins composed of gold from a single Canadian source.

Other Canadian Gold Coins

While the Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Series is the most popular gold coin offered by the Royal Canadian Mint, the RCM also offers several other gold bullion options for purchase. Among their more popular options are the:

  • Call of the Wild Series: This unique series offered by the Royal Canadian Mint showcases native wildlife found throughout Canada and North America. Each release features an animal on the reverse of a .99999 gold coin. The series debuted in 2014.
  • Animal Portrait Series: This series debuted in 2017 and has one release every year featuring a unique animal on a 1/4 oz gold coin. Every gold coin in the series is a reverse proof specimen.
  • Commemorative Coins: The Royal Canadian Mint occasionally has commemorative releases to honor anniversaries or special events. One popular release is their Lunar Series which offers gold coins with a limited mintage in presentation cases.

Royal Canadian Mint Gold Bars

The Royal Canadian Mint also produces gold bars for purchase. The well-known mint offers gold bars in sizes as small as 1 Troy ounce to as large as 1 kilogram (32.1507 Troy ounces.)

The RCM offers both minted ingots as well as cast gold bars. Minted ingots start as blanks which are pieces of metal that are the shape of a bar but are smooth with no design. These blanks are then loaded into a machine that applies pressure along with a die containing the design.

Cast bars on the other hand are created by placing gold into a mold, heating it, then removing it from the mold when it’s cooled.

Bars from the RCM are typically packaged with an assay card that authenticates the bar as well as the purity and weight.

Buying Royal Canadian Mint Gold at Provident Metals

At Provident Metals we have a great selection of Canadian Gold Coins and Bars. For any inquiries about them, please don’t hesitate to ask. Our customer service team is available at 1-800-313-3315. We can also be contacted via email or through our online chat feature.