Canadian bullion series
Silver Maple Leaf
Silver Maple Leaf is the reviewed Canadian bullion series in the Maple Leaf bullion hierarchy, covering 1988–present. The record is bounded by its Single maple leaf reverse, Contemporary monarch portrait obverse, and material scope recorded as 99.99% pure silver; unverified issue data are not promoted to facts.
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
Begin with the Single maple leaf reverse, then confirm the Contemporary monarch portrait obverse. Compare date, portrait, denomination, reeded edge, dimensions, weight, and metal response together. Wear, cleaning, plating disturbance, or environmental colour is not, by itself, evidence of a new type or variety.
Primary identifiers
Reverse: Single maple leaf. Obverse: Contemporary monarch portrait.
Authority and dates
Royal Canadian Mint; recorded range 1988–present.
Evidence boundary
Unknown specifications remain unknown; unverified varieties, mintages, and prices stay outside the public catalog.
Chronology and authority
The historical scope of Silver Maple Leaf
The cited evidence records Royal Canadian Mint as the issuing authority and 1988–present as this type or program boundary. It belongs to the Maple Leaf bullion branch and is classified by authority, principal design, and documented physical generations. A narrower subtype should be added only when measurements, composition, or design evidence supports the split.
The catalog places this record in the Maple Leaf bullion branch, records its material scope as 99.99% pure silver, 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
Begin with the Single maple leaf reverse, then confirm the Contemporary monarch portrait obverse. Compare date, portrait, denomination, reeded edge, dimensions, weight, and metal response together. Wear, cleaning, plating disturbance, or environmental colour is not, by itself, evidence of a new type or variety.
Obverse
Recorded design: Contemporary monarch portrait. Portrait era: Elizabeth II and Charles III. Designer: Not established at this type level.
Reverse
Recorded design: Single maple leaf. Designer: Walter Ott.
Finish by checking the edge (reeded), composition (99.99% pure silver), 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: 1988–present.
Material scope
99.99% pure silverWhen material spans generations, the specification remains a range until issue evidence supports a split.
Finish and edge
bullionRecorded edge: reeded.
Collector landmarks
Three anchors that do not depend on price
These anchors establish the catalog boundary; they are not rarity or investment rankings.
1988–present
The verified range assigned to Silver Maple Leaf in this catalog.
Single maple leaf
The principal reverse is the first type-level attribution check.
99.99% pure silver
Compare it with the reeded 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
- 1988–present
- Issuer
- Royal Canadian Mint
- Series
- Maple Leaf bullion
- Composition
- 99.99% pure silver
- Weight
- one troy ounce for the standard flagship format
- Diameter
- Not established at this type level
- Thickness
- Not established at this type level
- Edge
- reeded
- Ruler / portrait era
- Elizabeth II and Charles III
- Reverse designer
- Walter Ott
- 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
A useful first set represents the design and technical boundaries documented across 1988–present; portrait, composition, or program generations can follow when their evidence is secure. Issue mintages, rarity labels, variety names, prices, and survivor estimates require separate verification and are not inferred from this type summary.
One-coin type study
Choose one representative that clearly shows the principal obverse and reverse, then learn the type boundary.
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.