Canadian Maple Leaf
Bullion Coins

In 1979, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced Canada's first modern bullion coin, the one-ounce pure (0.999) gold Maple Leaf, with $50 face value. Canada had produced a limited run of $5 and $10 coins (1912-1914), as well as (British) one-pound sovereigns (1908-1919). With the world wars, and the abandonment of the gold standard, gold was no longer used for coins. A special $20 collector piece was stuck for the 1967 Centennial, and then two $100 coins were produced for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Continuing in 1977, a yearly $100 14- or 22-karat gold coin has been produced for collectors.

In the 1970s, the market for gold bullion coins was dominated by the South African Krugerrand. With increasing boycott pressure on South Africa's Apartheid government, alternative sources of gold coins and bars were in rising demand. Australian Nugget, American Eagle and Buffalo, Chinese Panda, Austrian Philharmonic.

You can check out the history of the Maple Leaf series here: