The Origin Story
The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf was introduced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1988, and its counterpart, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, was introduced almost a decade earlier in 1979.
Design
The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf design is identical to that of the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf:
- Heads: The obverse design featured a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II until it was replaced by a portrait of King Charles III in late 2023.
- Tails: On the reverse, the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf features the maple leaf, a symbol synonymous with Canada.
Production Details
Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins are some of the highest-purity silver bullion coins in the world at 0.9999 or 99.99% pure silver, making it one of the purest silver bullion coins in the world. They also have laser-engraved microdots to prevent counterfeiting.
Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins are one full troy ounce and have a legal tender value of five Canadian dollars.
Within the first three years of production, the Canadian Mint had sold almost 3 million 1 oz coins.