Maple Leaf 1oz Gold Coin 2016
Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is one of the largest and most popular issuers of high-quality gold and silver coins.
The 2016 Maple Leaf 1oz is now available. The Maple Leaf gold coin is one of the three best-selling gold bullion coins in the world. It has as its predecessors since 2013, a security feature in the form of a small laser engram in which the year is written.
Coin Specifications: Size, Weight and Alloy
The new Maple Leaf 1oz 2016 has a fine weight of 31.103 grams, with a diameter of 30 mm and a thickness of 2.87 mm. The nominal value for the 1 ounce Maple Leaf is 50 Canadian dollars. With a fineness of 999. /1000 the Maple Leaf 1oz 2016 is made of pure gold. The purity is the coin’s greatest advantage and disadvantage. The advantage is that the Maple Leaf Gold Coin does not corrode and therefore not discolor. The disadvantage is its susceptibility to scratching because 24k pure gold is very soft.
| Ounce | Purity | Fine Weight | Diameter | Thickness | Face Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 999.9/1000 | 31.103 g | 30 mm | 2.80 mm | 50 CAD |
Story
The Maple Leaf was introduced in 1970 by the Royal Canadian Mint and had an annual mintage of 1,000,000 pieces. In the time of the oil crises from 1974 to 1984, investors flew to the relative safety of gold. At that time the South African Krugerrand was the world's undisputed leader of gold bullion coins, which changed after the import ban in 1986. The Maple Leaf demand thrived during that time along with the Krugerrand.
In the first three embossing years in 1979, 1980 and 1981, only the 1oz Maple Leaf with a fineness of 999/1000 was minted. Starting in 1982, the fractional sizes 1/4oz and 1/10oz were introduced. In 1986 the 1/2oz completed the series. After the oil crisis, the demand of investors fell dramatically. The one million mark was not reached again for the 1oz gold coin until the year 2009.
Appearance of the Maple Leaf
The appearance of the Maple Leaf 1oz 2016 is determined by the two motives "Maple Leaf and Elisabeth II". The obverse and reverse has radial lines, which run to the center inwards and makes counterfeiting immensely hard. In addition, the gold coin has a rim and a rippled edge. One function of the edge rod is to improve the stackability. The addition of the rippled edge should make a damage or cut to the gold coin immediately visible. The radial lines and the laser engram safety feature are intended to impede the falsification of the Maple Leaf.
Obverse
The design of the front is the typical symbol of the Canadian maple leaf. Below the motif to the right the laser engram security feature can be seen. It shows a small maple leaf in which are the last two digits of the laser engraved year 2016. Not readable by the naked eye, one needs a magnifying glass to read.
The following words and numbers are embossed
- CANADA
- 9999
- FINE GOLD
- 1OZ OR PUR
Reverse
Since Canada is a part of the former Commonwealth, the reverse of Maple Leaf 1 oz in 2016 shows the head of Queen "Elisabeth II". She can be seen in profile view.
The following words and numbers are embossed
- ELISABETH II
- 50 DOLLARS
- 2016
Particularities
In the years 1979, 1980, 1981, the fineness was 999/1000.
The Maple Leaf 1oz gold coin has a safety feature in the form of a small laser engraved maple leaf, with inserted year (16). The second heaviest gold coin in the world is a Maple Leaf, with the weight of 100kg and a circulation of five pieces.
The Maple Leaf is also available in platinum and palladium.
Tips for buying the Maple Leaf
When buying Maple Leaf gold coins and gold coins in general some basic knowledge is needed. In our gold shopping guide we provide an overview of what to look for.
Composition of the price
The price of the Maple Leaf is composed of the current gold price and the premium. The fee is charged by the Mint and the seller to cover costs and to obtain a margin.
Maple Leaf gold coin premium
Retail investor products are usually gold bullion or gold coins. The production of gold bullion is the cheapest production form and is therefore provided with the smallest premium (about 1%). 1oz Maple Leaf Gold Coins carry a premium of about 3% to 5%. The premium of fractional sizes in most cases are much higher.
As a rule of thumb an mint-state Maple Leaf’s trades at a higher premium because they have not been in circulation and the demand is higher. Furthermore, there are price differences between the gold sellers because banks and bullion dealers have different cost structures and margins.
Manufacturer: The Royal Canadian Mint
The manufacturer of Maple Leaf Gold coins is the Royal Canadian Mint. It was founded in 1908 as a branch of the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom. The Royal Canadian Mint has its headquarters in Ottawa and reports to the Canadian Treasury. Their products include Gold Maple Leaf, Silver Maple Leaf, Platinum Maple Leaf, Palladium Maple Leaf, the Canadian dollar, several dozen foreign currencies and much more.
Advantages & Disadvantages Maple Leaf
The Maple Leaf 1oz has many advantages and is overall an excellent gold bullion coin. The biggest advantage is the global recognition, plus Maple Leaf gold coins are exempt from VAT. Furthermore, the Maple Leaf 1oz has one of the lowest premium over other gold bullion coins (approximately 3.5%). This lower premium also carries over to smaller weights such as 1/2oz, 1/4oz, 1/10oz and 1/20oz. However smaller weights can have premiums of up to 15% due to higher production costs.
Furthermore, the 2016 1oz variant has a safety feature that will complicate the counterfeiting of the coin. Since 1979 the Maple Leaf is recognized worldwide with banks, savings banks and precious metal companies worldwide. Since the Maple Leaf has a fineness of 999.9/1000 it can not corrode, as opposed to 22 karat gold coins which can undergo a color change because of the copper content. The only downside of Maple Leaf gold coins is that gold is very soft and the lack of a hard copper alloy content makes the coin easily scratched.
What makes the Maple Leaf gold bullion coin?
The following criteria can be applied to the Maple Leaf gold bullion coin to be. Is regulated the § in Germany under the Value Added Tax Act section 25c.
- 1. The gold coin must not have been coined before 1800's.
- 2. The gold coin must have a minimum purity of 900/1000
- 3. The gold coin has to be cash in the country of manufacture or have been.
- 4. The gold coin may open market value, do not exceed more than 80%.
Product Details
- Manufacturer: Royal Canadian Mint
- Country of origin: Canada
- Karat: 24 K
- Gold: 99.99%
- Fineness: 999,9 / 1000
- Alloy: Gold
- Weight: 1oz
- Scratch resistance: bad
| Metal | Gold |
| Form | Gold Coin |
| Country of Origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Series | Maple Leaf |
| Purity | 999.9/1000 |
| Fineweight | 31.10 gram |
| Gross Weight | 31.10 gram |
| Denomination (oz) | 1 oz |
| Year of issue | 2016 |
| Grade | Brilliant |
| Condition | Uncirculated |
| Face value | 50 CAD |
| Thickness | 2.87 mm |
| Diameter | 38.00 mm |
| Packaging | Single in Pouch |
| Packaging Unit | 10 per Tube |
| Large Packaging 2 | 500 per Box |