Gold Coins**Gold**Canadian Gold 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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Certified Gold Coins, including Canadian Gold Maple Leafs, are those specimens that have been assessed by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) or the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). Buying Certified Gold Maple Leafs is the only way to ensure you receive a specimen that is struck with beautiful visuals and free, or relatively free, of minor visual impairments.
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.
If you have any questions about these amazing gold products, 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 connect with us online through our web chat and email address features. Our Payment Methods page provides detailed insight into acceptable forms of payment at JM Bullion when you buy gold.