Platinum Canadian Maple Leaf

The Platinum Canadian Maple Leaf is the official bullion platinum coin of Canada. It was first issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1988 and was available until 2002 in five different denominations, all of which are marked as containing .9995 pure platinum. The bullion coin was the partly reintroduced in 2009 in the form of the 1 troy ounce denomination, featuring a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

The production of Platinum Maple Leaf coins began on September 22, 1988, at a “special striking ceremony” organized by the RCM, where the first Canadian Silver Maple Leaf was also made. Within the first month of sales of the Platinum Maple Leaf, Ford Motor Company announced that may have found a suitable replacement for platinum in in its catalytic converters that was undergoing testing. This announcement led to a drastic drop in the price of platinum, as the automotive industry was, at that time, responsible for approximately a third of platinum consumption. For a short time during the earlier part of 1991, the price of platinum dropped below the price of gold, a phenomenon that rarely occurs (but is again present in the market). However, nothing substantial ever came from Ford’s announcement and testing and the price of platinum climbed back above the price of gold. During this period the Platinum Canadian Maple Leaf was actually taken out and put back in production.

The coin’s obverse features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty’s portrait is featured on all Canadian coinage, but over the course if the coin’s mintage from 1988 to present different portraits of Her Majesty have been used from younger to older renderings. ELIZABETH II is written along the obverse side, and 50 DOLLARS plus the year of mintage is written at the bottom. The reverse of the Platinum Maple Leaf features the Sugar Maple Leaf — The Symbol of Canada. CANADA is written at the top of the reverse, while FINE PLATINUM 1 OZ PLATINE PUR borders the bottom. 9995 is written on either side of the Platinum Maple Leaf indicating the purity of the platinum. Since its founding in 1908, the Royal Canadian Mint has been a world-leader in the production of technically advanced and stunningly beautiful bullion products such as the Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf.

Interestingly Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf bullion coins (1 oz) are one of only four legal tender platinum coins currently being produced, the others being the US Mint’s Platinum Eagles, Perth Mint’s 1 oz Platypus and the Austrian Platinum Philharmonic.

At Midas Gold Group, each of our 1 oz Platinum Maple Leaf is in immaculate condition and comes in mint condition in its box along with its original Certificate of Authenticity. We cannot always guarantee choice of year, however, as our inventory shifts, we will send a 1 oz Platinum Maple Leaf coin from a year of our choosing dependent on our available stock.