Maple Leaf 1/2oz 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.
Maple Leaf gold coins are one of the most recognizable brand name coins in the world. Manufactured by the Royal Canadian Mint, the 1/2oz Maple Leaf is one of the purest gold coins available. The mint started production of the Maple Leaf gold coin in 1979 and since then the Maple Leaf has become one of the top three selling gold coins in the world.
Weight & Size
The 1/2oz Maple leaf is 99.99% pure 24-karat gold. The key dimensions of the coin are listed below:
| Ounce | Purity | Fine Weight | Diameter | Thickness | Face Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 oz | 999.9/1000 | 15.55 g | 25 mm | 2.23 mm | 20 CAD |
History
The Maple Leaf was introduced to the market in 1979 by the Royal Canadian Mint and has 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 again until the year 2009.
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
- 1/2 OZ 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
- 20 DOLLARS
- 2016
Maple Leaf Advantages
The Maple Leaf 1/2oz has many advantages and is overall an excellent gold bullion coin. The key advantages to the Maple Leaf can be summarized below:
- The biggest advantage is the global recognition of Maple Leaf’s.
- Maple Leaf gold coins are exempt from VAT.
- Smaller weights such as 1/2oz, 1/4oz, 1/10oz typically carry higher premiums due to increase production costs. However, when compared to other fractional sized coins Maple Leafs can sometimes carry lower premiums.
- 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.
Product Details
- Manufacturer: Royal Canadian Mint
- Country of origin: Canada
- Karat: 24 K
- Gold: 99.99%
- Fineness: 999.9 / 1000
- Alloy: Gold
- Weight: 1/2oz
- Scratch resistance: Poor
| Metal | Gold |
| Form | Gold Coin |
| Country of Origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Series | Maple Leaf |
| Purity | 999.9/1000 |
| Fineweight | 15.55 gram |
| Gross Weight | 15.55 gram |
| Denomination (oz) | 1/2 oz |
| Year of issue | 2016 |
| Grade | Brilliant |
| Condition | Circulated |
| Face value | 20 CAD |
| Thickness | 2.23 mm |
| Diameter | 25.00 mm |
| Packaging | Single Sealed |
| Packaging Unit | 10 per Sheet |