The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is the official bullion gold coin of Canada and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.
The Gold Maple Leaf commands universal respect and attention and has been traded on the world market since 1979. It was the first gold bullion coin to be minted in the ultimate 99.99% purity. No gold coin in the world boasts a higher purity.
It was launched at a time when the only available bullion coin was the Krugerrand, which was not widely available because of an economic boycott of apartheid-era South Africa.
Since its introduction the Gold Maple Leaf has become enormously popular, and not just in Canada.
The coin is offered in 1/20 oz, 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations and is guaranteed to contain the stated amount (in troy ounces) of .9999 fine gold (24 carat).
The coins have legal tender status in Canada, but as is often the case with bullion coins, the face values of these coins (C$1, C$5, C$10, C$20 and C$50) are purely symbolic and are much lower than their market value.
Gold Maple Leaf coins can usually be bought at lower premiums than American Gold Eagles.
How come? Because the Royal Canadian Mint seems to be better attuned to market conditions than is the U.S. Mint and prices their Gold Maple Leaf coins below the American Gold Eagles simply to encourage sales.
In other words, if you want to buy the purest gold available, and don’t want to pay more than necessary in premiums, choose the Gold Maple Leaf.
Also, the Gold Maple Leaf is one of the most liquid bullion coins there is. That is to say, when and if you want to sell some coins, pretty much any dealer in the world will buy your Gold Maple Leaf. This isn’t the case for every gold bullion coin, so this a strong choice if liquidity is important to you.