Silver Maple Leafs

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The Silver Maple Leaf is the most recognizable annual release from the renowned Royal Canadian Mint. Known for quality and technical innovation, the 1 oz. coin features a sugar maple leaf on the reverse, emblematic of the Canadian Nation, and an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. The iconic design has largely remained the same over the course of the 35-year-old series. However, slight changes and dramatic improvements have evolved over the course of its existence. The Silver Maple Leaf has been met with fanfare from collectors around the world as one of the major bullion releases that can be anticipated every year. Keep reading to learn more about Canada’s premier silver coin series and to find the right Silver Maple Leaf for your collection below.

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The Sugar Maple Leaf

The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf  coin highlights iconic Canadian imagery as it features a sugar maple leaf, a symbol of Canada, prominently on its reverse. A Sugar Maple is a tree that is found in Canada that produces instantly recognizable leaves that range in color from yellow to red depending on the season. In fact, the tree is the national symbol of Canada, so it seems apt that its leaves have appeared on everything from the Canadian flag to Canadian currency.

A Brief History of the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Series

 The Royal Canadian Mint had been producing its annual gold series, the Gold Maple Leaf, since 1979. It was then just the second gold bullion coin released on the global market besides the Gold Krugerrand from South Africa. Then, in 1988, the Mint introduced a Silver Maple Leaf Series that would hold a $5 CAD legal tender and contain one troy ounce of .9999 silver. Featuring a Sugar Maple Leaf on the reverse, and an effigy of the Queen on the obverse, three different profiles of Queen Elizabeth the II have appeared on the series over the course of its issuance. The Sugar Maple design has not been significantly changed since its debut, however, the Mint has added security features over the year that alter the coins appearance, while insuring its authenticity.

Royal Canadian Mint Security

In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mint updated the Silver Maple Leaf by including both a micro-engraver mark and radial lines that appear on both faces of the coin. These features make the Maple harder to counterfeit, protecting the sanctity of collections around the world. Since 2018, the Mint has also applied a solution, called “Mint Shield” to the surface of the coins, which has been proved to minimize the appearance of milk spots on coins without any adverse effects to the overall appearance. Finally, the Royal Canadian Mint also uses Bullion DNA, an anti-counterfeiting technology that appears in the form of a micro-engraved security mark that allows a given Silver Maple Leaf to be authenticated by the Mint.

Special Releases

Several special releases have been introduced to the Silver Maple Leaf Series over the years. Such releases including the addition of special privy marks, these have ranged from Mark V tanks to privy’s honoring the lunar cycle, as well as fractional releases, commemorative editions, and releases with special finishes such as colorization or the addition of a hologram. In 2018, the Mint introduced the Incuse Maple Leaf, which features an incuse design, so both the obverse and reverse designs are pressed into the field of the coin as opposed to being raised above it. The mintage of the Silver Incuse Maple Leaf is low, compared to the rest of series and was a welcome twist on the iconic design. 

In 2018, another incredible silver maple leaf was released, the 30th Anniversary Silver Maple Leaf.  Struck in the usual 99.99% silver, this coin has incredible detail and a new twist.  Encompassing the intricately struck, iconic maple leaf design is a big number “30” in celebration of the coin’s 30th anniversary.  This silver maple leaf anniversary coin also has the same security features of the silver incuse maple leaf, with the radial lines and laser engraved Maple leaf mint mark.  It makes an excellent addition to the Canadian silver maple leaf coin series. 

Pride of Two Nations Set

In 2019, the Royal Canadian Mint partnered with the United States Mint for the first time in their history to release a collaborative set that would feature one of the most iconic coins from each nation, namely a Silver Eagle and a Silver Maple Leaf. Not only was their partnership numismatic history, but each coin in the set would feature a never seen finish in either series. The Silver Maple received what is referred to as a “modified proof finish,” that throws the iconic imagery of the sugar maple, into a new light. An engraved border of maples and stars also appears on both faces, further enhancing this unique Maple release. The set was met with great fan far by collectors and is sure to go down as one of the must have editions of the Silver Maple Leaf. 

A Brief History of the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Series

The Royal Canadian Mint had been producing its annual gold series, the Gold Maple Leaf, since 1979. It was then just the second gold bullion coin released on the global market besides the Gold Krugerrand from South Africa. Then, in 1988, the Mint introduced a Silver Maple Leaf Series that would hold a $5 CAD legal tender and contain one troy ounce of .9999 silver. The 2023 Silver Maple Leaf marks the 35th year of issue of this beloved Canadian bullion series.

The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin highlights iconic Canadian imagery as it features a sugar maple leaf, a symbol of Canada, prominently on its reverse. A Sugar Maple is a tree that is found in Canada that produces instantly recognizable leaves that range in color from yellow to red depending on the season. In fact, the tree is the national symbol of Canada, so it seems apt that its leaves have appeared on everything from the Canadian flag to Canadian currency.

What does a Silver Maple Leaf look like?

Featuring a Sugar Maple Leaf on the reverse, and an effigy of the Queen on the obverse, three different profiles of Queen Elizabeth the II have appeared on the series over the course of its issuance. The Sugar Maple design has not been significantly changed since its debut, however, the Mint has added security features over the year that alter the coins appearance, while ensuring its authenticity.

How can you tell if a Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin is real silver?

There are several different ways to tell if a Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin is real silver or not including looking for the security mark, examining the coin’s radial line, and using a precious metal verifier to test its precious metal content, to name a few. 

The security mark is a small maple leaf that is laser-etched into the lower right side of the coin. If you hold the coin up to the light or a magnifying glass, you should be able to see the Mint security mark.

If you are not sure whether or not a particular Silver Maple Leaf coin is real silver, you can take it to a local Coin Dealer for verification.

Royal Canadian Mint Security

In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mint updated the Silver Maple Leaf by including both a micro-engraver mark and radial lines that appear on both faces of the coin. These features make the Maple harder to counterfeit, protecting the sanctity of collections around the world. 

Since 2018, the Mint has also applied a solution, called “Mint Shield” to the surface of the coins, which has been proved to minimize the appearance of milk spots on coins without any adverse effects to the overall appearance. 

Finally, the Royal Canadian Mint also uses Bullion DNA, an anti-counterfeiting technology that appears in the form of a micro-engraved security mark that allows a given Silver Maple Leaf to be authenticated by the Mint.

Silver Maple Leaf Coin Finishes

The Royal Canadian Mint issues several special Silver Maple Coins  with different finishes, designs and privy marks. Here are some of the most notable:

Regular Incuse Maple Leafs

The Royal Canadian Mint has proudly produced a coin with an incused strike which is a design that has been impressed below the coin’s surface. Their Incused Maple Leaf coins are struck in this fashion on both sides of the coin with the iconic Maple Leaf on the reverse and the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. 

Canada $5 1-oz Silver Maple Leaf Regular Incuse Reverse and ObverseCanada $5 1-oz Silver Maple Leaf Regular Incuse Reverse and Obverse

Super Incuse Maple Leafs

The Royal Canadian Mint is taking art to new depths with the first-ever “Super Incuse” coins! With new technology developed by the Mint’s R&D team, the maple leaf engraved on this coin’s reverse features an unprecedented incuse depth of 1.5 mm. The engraving is every bit as intricate and detailed as previous incuse coins, but the extreme relief depth adds a new level of complexity to this already famous design. The RCM has issued Super Incuse Maples with special features for some years. The 2022 Super Incuse Maple Leaf, for example, boasted a reverse-proof finish and select rose-gold plating. The result was nothing short of stunning!

Canada $20 1-oz Silver Maple Leaf Super Incuse Reverse and ObverseCanada $20 1-oz Silver Maple Leaf Super Incuse Reverse and Obverse

Pulsating Maple Leafs

The Royal Canadian Mint has proudly struck a coin that combines beauty and technical sophistication. This release, which instantly became a worthy addition to its fan-favorite series of Maple Leaf coins, has been expertly crafted by the mint from hand-selected planchets, polished dies, and multiple strikes to produce beautifully mirror-like details. The Mint’s pulsating technology features sub-millimeter-scale that manipulate light particle protons to create a sense of motion to the engraved Maple Leaf design.

Canada Silver Pulsating Maple Leaf Reverse and ObverseCanada Silver Pulsating Maple Leaf Reverse and Obverse

High Relief Maple Leafs

The symbol of Canada’s freedom, the maple leaf’s nature evokes the people’s resolution to start anew, to turn a new leaf. In this Maple Leaf design, the highest relief has been struck multiple times using enhanced tooling developed specifically for demanding pressures. This age-old technique was normally reserved for large medals and medallions. The result is visually stunning as the maple leaves on this coin literally rise from the coin’s surface.

The obverse and reverse design of the 2014 high relief canada silver maple leaf coinThe obverse and reverse design of the 2014 high relief canada silver maple leaf coin

Canadian Silver Maple Leafs for Sale at GovMint.com

When you buy Canada Silver Maple Leafs at GovMint.com you can rest assured that you are buying authentic United States coinage. You can view our return policy here. Browse our website GovMint.com or call 1-800-642-9160 to see how Silver Maple Leafs can enhance your coin collection or silver stack today!