Tuesday 7 May 2013

The Silver Maple Leaf Coin

Silver Maple Leaf

The Silver Maple Leaf


The silver maple leaf is the Canadian Mints most popular silver bullion product to date; minted annually since 1988 these coins are highly collectable. Its appearance was brought about through the popularity of the gold maple leaf coins which appeared several years earlier and proved to be a favorite among collectors and investors. Each silver bullion coin is 1 troy oz or 31.1 grams in weight, the coins silver purity is 99.99% which is the highest of any silver bullion coin on the market today. The $5 face value is the largest face value shown on any comparable silver bullion coin in the world. There have been several notable issues released over the life of this bullion coin series; in 1998 a 10oz version of the silver maple leaf was released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the minting of the first bullion coin. There have been many annual variations of the maple leaf, these have included a silver proof releases in 1989 only, there have also been many variations of privy marked bullion coins released to many to mention here. Coloured maples with maple design different from the regular silver maple leaf coins, there have been holographic coins and several differing designs, such as a 2009 issued coins commemorating the 2010 Winter Olympics (3 different coins in total).

A problem that many Canadian silver maple Leaf coins have is problem called milk spot, this happens when a cleaning detergent is still left on the coin when the coin goes into the annealing furnace to be baked. When this happens the detergent gets baked into the coin itself and leaves a spot that cannot be easily removed. The marks left have a milky white appearance giving the name milk spot. This problem has become a pain for a lot of collectors, it can be a very hit or miss problem as this does not affect all maple leaf coins.

The Observe Design of the Maple Leaf


The observe of the silver maple leaf features the profile of Queen Elizabeth II, there have been a total of three differing profiles of Queen Elizabeth to date, a young head version, an old head version, and an older head version. Each maple coin is struck with a face value of $5 and also shows the inscriptions of ELIZABETH II, 5 DOLLARS and the year of minting on the obverse.
 (Tiara Portrait) 1988-1989. Designers Arnold Machin & Walter Ott.
(Royal Diadem Portrait) 1990-2003. Designer Dora de Perdery Hunt.(Uncrowned Portrait) 2004-Present.  Designers Susanna Blunt & Susan Taylor.

The Reverse Design of the Maple Leaf

The reverse of these silver bullion coins have always features the iconic maple leaf design which is the national symbol of Canada , and the phrase "Fine Silver 1 oz Argent Pur" along the bottom of each coin.
(Maple Leaf Portrait) 1988-2009. Designer Walter Ott.

 

 

Silver Maple Leaf Specifications

Mint: Royal Canadian Mint
Weight: 31.10 grams
Diameter: 38 mm
Edge: Reeded
Composition: .9999 Silver