Canada: Maple Leaf’s 35th anniversary marked with maple leaves in motion silver Proof mega coin

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The Royal Canadian Mint is marking the 35th anniversary of the release of the first silver editions of their ever-popular Maple Leaf one-ounce bullion coins produced in silver. The most widely recognised symbol of Canada, the maple leaf continues to be a powerful representation of proud Canadian achievements and key milestones. This instantly recognisable symbol successfully transitioned onto a bullion coin first in 1979 with the production and release of one-ounce pure gold coins with a nominal face value of 50 dollars. Fractional gold pieces soon followed, and in 1988, the Royal Canadian Mint released one-ounce silver coins with a nominal face value of five dollars.

Created by Walter Ott (1920–2020), the Royal Canadian Mint’s Chief Engraver and Director of Art from 1977 to 1985, the design depicts a single maple leaf and stem intricately detailed along with the coins’ fineness and weight shown along the lower edge. Since its introduction, the reverse design has remained unchanged but obverse side has undergone three effigy changes of the Late Queen Elizabeth II. There have been several special editions of both gold and silver, which include special mint and privy marks to denote particular national and international anniversaries.

Designed by Canadian artist Nathalie Lagacé, the five-ounce fine silver mega-coin depicts an arrangement of three sugar maple leaves, one for each decade of the Silver Maple Leaf’s 35-year supremacy as one of the most sought-after bullion coins. The strike is rendered in ultra-high relief (UHR), which emphasises height by adding outstanding depth to the design and sends the sculpted leaves soaring above the background pattern of finely-etched texture. When viewed under a source of light and tilted, the movement gives the illusion of the texture pulsating as it catches the light. Above the primary design is the text CANADA and to the left of the leaves are the commemorative years, 1988 and 2023. The obverse side also features a similar pulsating pattern which is engraved and features the effigy of the Late Queen Elizabeth II created by Susanna Blunt. The memorial obverse also bears a special marking that includes four pearls symbolising the four effigies that have graced Canadian coins and years of her reign, 1952 and 2022. Below the Queen’s likeness is the denomination of 50 DOLLARS.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Dimensions	Quality	Mintage Limit
50 dollars	.9999 Silver	156.1 g	65.2 mm	UHR Proof	2,000

The large size coin is encapsulated and presented in a hardwood custom case accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please click here.

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