Silver**Silver Coins**Canadian Silver Coins**Canadian Silver Maple Leafs
The Canadian Maple Leaf silver coin is second in popularity only to the American Silver Eagle. In fact, many believe that its higher silver content and finer design make it the most desirable silver coin on the market. It is minted annually and is released by the Canadian Government. Whether you live in Canada, the US, or somewhere else in the world, this coin will have the value of instant recognition.
The obverse of the Maple Leaf is not its most popular feature. This side of the coin depicts the reigning monarch of Britain. Following the debut of the Maple Leaf Series in 1979, Queen Elizabeth II was the only monarch to have featured on the coins. Her death in September 2022 not only brought about a new obverse portrait, but also the first portrait of a monarch other than the late queen. Designs to date include:
On the reverse side of the Maple Leaf is an illustration of its namesake, a grand Maple Leaf in sharp detail. This is the element of the coin that has made it so treasured in the world of silver coins. When you have one of these coins in your hand, the extreme detail will become immediately apparent and is one of the factors that separates it from other nationally minted coins.
Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins originally ship from the mint in two bulk packaging options. Multiples of 25 coins are housed inside of mint tubes, with multiples of 500 coins housed inside of Monster Boxes. The Monster Box contains a total of 20 individual tubes of 25 coins each. All individual purchases or multiples of 24 or less will ship with protective plastic flips.
The most exciting option when buying Canadian Silver Maple Leafs is the JM Bullion MintSealed Tube. These limited options are original Royal Canadian Mint tubes of 25 Canadian Silver Maple Leafs that have been received by JM Bullion direct from the mint in Monster Boxes. We inspect each individual tube in the box to ensure the tubes have not been opened or tampered with. Once we are sure the tubes are in the same condition as the moment each one left the mint, we seal the tube shut in protective plastic wrap and apply our JM Bullion MintSealed sticker with information on the coin release and items inside. This ensures that the tube of Canadian Silver Maple Leafs you receive are in the exact same condition as the moment each coin was packaged in that tube by the Royal Canadian Mint.
The Silver Maple Leaf is so popular with investors that the Royal Canadian Mint makes strides to provide a collectible version of the BU coin as well for numismatists. However, rather than striking proof coins on an annual basis, the mint instead focuses on using privy marks and unique finishes (such as reverse proof) to create collectible interest in the Silver Maple Leaf. Examples of commonly-issued variations in the Maple Leaf program include, but are not limited to the following:
In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced a number of security measures for the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf. The first of these measures was the inclusion of new precision-engraved radial lines on the obverse and reverse fields to reflect light in distinct ways as a means of making it harder to counterfeit the coins. Additionally, the coins have a micro-engraved laser privy mark on the reverse beneath the sugar maple. This privy is a maple leaf that has the final two digits in the date of issue, but these digits are only visible under magnification.
The Silver Maple Leaf is no different from most other silver coins of the world in that its initial production began in the 1980s, 1988 to be exact. The first year of release saw around 1,000,000 coins minted and made available for distribution. This number would be inflated for a few years until it settled into lower figures for much of the 1990s.
Throughout the years, many variations and special editions of the coin have been created. These include colored designs, commemorative coins remembering the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada, and 20th Anniversary coins.
One of the unique elements of the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf is found in how they are packaged and distributed. Most coins are sent in tubes of 20, but the Silver Maple Leaf is packed in tubes of 25. This was done in an attempt to most effectively meet the increased demand for the coin over time.
As is the case with most silver coins, production was ramped up in the late 2000s, with each year from 2006 through 2010 seeing higher and higher quantities. While there was around 500,000 to 1 million produced in the 90s and early 2000s, 2006 saw 2.5 million and 2010 broke records with nearly 18 million minted. The new 2015 Silver Maple Leaf will be released in January 2015 and is expected to see similar mintage numbers.
The Maple Leaf has been experiencing exponential gains in both volume available, demand, and overall popularity in the secondary markets. One of the biggest reasons that it has found so much demand is in its natural quality. It is very common for these coins to actually surpass the 1 oz listed weight, if only by a fraction. Plus, its 99.99% designations sets it apart from most silver coins where the silver content is 99.9%. These small factors combine to make one big difference in the quality of the coin, making it a tremendous value for buyers.
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