Canadian catalog domain
Canadian Bullion Coinage
The Maple Leaf bullion family began with gold in 1979 and expanded to silver in 1988, with platinum and palladium branches also documented. These legal-tender precious-metal products are organized separately from circulation coins and numismatic collector programs.
Scope is limited to the verified type or program level. Issue mintages, prices, varieties, and survival estimates are not inferred from this summary.
Field identification guide
Know the boundary before the date
Confirm metal, weight format, face value, date, monarch portrait, purity inscription, radial-line generation, and security mark. Similar maple-leaf collector coins are not automatically part of the standard bullion program. No melt test should damage a coin; professional non-destructive verification is preferable.
Primary identifiers
Reverse: Maple leaf and program-specific inscriptions. Obverse: Contemporary monarch portrait.
Authority and dates
Royal Canadian Mint; recorded range 1979–present.
Evidence boundary
Unknown specifications remain unknown; unverified varieties, mintages, and prices stay outside the public catalog.
Chronology and authority
The historical scope of Canadian Bullion Coinage
Walter Ott's single maple-leaf reverse supplies the family resemblance. The Gold Maple Leaf reached the .9999 standard in 1982; the Silver Maple Leaf uses .9999 silver. Modern security generations add radial lines and micro-engraved marks, with Bullion DNA verification introduced for gold from 2014 and silver from 2015.
The catalog places this record in the Maple Leaf bullion branch, records its material scope as precious metals by program, and records its finish as bullion. Those fields are supported by the sources listed below; missing issue-level transitions are not filled by inference.
Evidence on the coin
Design and identification
Confirm metal, weight format, face value, date, monarch portrait, purity inscription, radial-line generation, and security mark. Similar maple-leaf collector coins are not automatically part of the standard bullion program. No melt test should damage a coin; professional non-destructive verification is preferable.
Obverse
Recorded design: Contemporary monarch portrait. Portrait era: Elizabeth II and Charles III. Designer: Not established at this type level.
Reverse
Recorded design: Maple leaf and program-specific inscriptions. Designer: Walter Ott for the core Maple Leaf design.
Finish by checking the edge (Not established at this type level), composition (precious metals by program), and any recorded dimensions or weight; colour or wear alone is not enough for attribution.
Verified production scope
Authority, material, and finish
Only confirmed production facts at type level appear here. Unestablished mints, mintages, and annual changes are not shown as zero or estimates.
Issuing authority
Royal Canadian MintCatalog range: 1979–present.
Material scope
precious metals by programWhen material spans generations, the specification remains a range until issue evidence supports a split.
Finish and edge
bullionRecorded edge: Not established at this type level.
Collector landmarks
Three anchors that do not depend on price
These anchors establish the catalog boundary; they are not rarity or investment rankings.
1979–present
The verified range assigned to Canadian Bullion Coinage in this catalog.
Maple leaf and program-specific inscriptions
The principal reverse is the first type-level attribution check.
precious metals by program
Compare it with the Not established at this type level edge and any recorded measurements.
Type-level specifications
Values that vary by generation or remain unverified are stated as such; they are never filled by inference.
- Years
- 1979–present
- Issuer
- Royal Canadian Mint
- Series
- Maple Leaf bullion
- Composition
- precious metals by program
- Weight
- Not established at this type level
- Diameter
- Not established at this type level
- Thickness
- Not established at this type level
- Edge
- Not established at this type level
- Ruler / portrait era
- Elizabeth II and Charles III
- Reverse designer
- Walter Ott for the core Maple Leaf design
- Finish
- bullion
- Mintage
- Not established at this type level
Structured catalog
Issue catalog status
This release stops at type and program level. Issue rows will be added only after date, mint, mintage, specification, variety, and grade fields pass source-by-source review.
No issue records generated yet
This is not a claim of zero mintage or no known varieties; it means the issue-level evidence has not passed the public release gate.
Build a collection from evidence
Collecting paths and checklist
Bullion value is metal- and market-linked, but this encyclopedia does not publish live prices or investment advice. Special issues and the full platinum and palladium date chronology remain held until primary program records are reconciled.
Program framework
Confirm the program scope, included denominations, and design boundary before building a checklist.
Metal and security generations
Separate fineness, standard format, portrait, and security generations from official records; do not fold every special product into the flagship specification.
Source-backed date study
Expand into dates or varieties only after issue identity, specifications, and production evidence are verified field by field.
Collector checklist
- Do not clean the coin; cleaning changes surfaces and can obscure evidence.
- Compare date, portrait, design, edge, weight, diameter, and metal response together.
- Have consequential or high-value attributions reviewed by an appropriate specialist or certification service.
- Catalog information is research context, not an appraisal, offer, or investment guarantee.
Related Canada pages
Traceable research trail
Sources
- BullionRoyal Canadian Mint
Current Gold and Silver Maple Leaf program identity and Mintshield context.
- Bullion DNARoyal Canadian Mint
Radial lines, micro-engraved security marks, and Bullion DNA chronology.
- The evolution of premium bullionRoyal Canadian Mint
Walter Ott's Maple Leaf design and Gold and Silver Maple Leaf launch chronology.
- Canadian Coins Population ReportProfessional Coin Grading Service
Independent denomination and program category cross-check only; not mintage, rarity, or survival claims.