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New Presidential Dollar coins:

~Unusual Edge Letters on President coins

~US mint $ coin press release.

~Production Schedule for upcoming Dollars.

~Legislation Authorizing Presidential Dollar Coins in 2007.

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Canadian MAPLE LEAF SILVER COINS

Silver Maple leaf – The beginning

Canada has a long history of producing mineral resources such as gold, silver, copper, and even platinum. So much so, that they are a major exporter of many of these metals.

Popularity of Silver as an investment

During the inflation years of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s investor interest in silver grew. During those years other countries began attracting investor interest in silver by minting special silver bullion and selling them to coin collectors and investors at reasonable premiums over the cost of production.

In 1988 Canada decided to do the same by producing the first 1 ounce Silver Maple Leaf coin. Aimed at getting investors to buy silver that was primarily mined in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mint distributed the coins through as select set of coin dealers, often referred to as the bullion network. The “Royal Canadian Mint”, or RCM as some abbreviate it, is the Canadian government’s primary minting facility.

Each Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin contains 1 troy ounce of solid 99.9+% pure silver and has a legal tender face value of $5.00 in Canadian money. One side of the coin has a large MAPLE LEAF on it, the Canadian symbol. The other side features a head portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Maple Leaf – how will I receive mine?

Produced yearly, the Silver Maple Leaf bullion coins have enjoyed an investor following. Millions have been sold since their inception. Originally, Silver Maple Leaf bullion 1 ounce coins were released by the RCM sealed in a soft flexible plastic. Over time it was discovered that the plastic material was not ideal for long term storage. It would often deteriorate over time. To resolve this problem, the Royal Canadian Mint changed the packaging to tubes (or rolls) during the last few years. A roll of Silver Maple Leafs often contains 25 of the one ounce coins. The United States American Eagle bullion coins are sold in tubes of 20 coins and so are some other country’s coins. Many coin dealers repackage them into individual holders, or lots containing various quantities. Buyers need to pay attention to the quantity of coins in a lot or tube before purchasing rolls of the Silver Maple Leaf coins, or any other country’s silver bullion coins.

Maple Leaf Certificate of Authenticity

When buying these coins, you will not find any paper “certificates of authenticity” (COA) with the Silver bullion Maple leaf coins. The Royal Canadian Mint does not issue COA’s for bullion coins or rolls. (The United States Mint does not either.) However, the RCM does guarantee their purity and weight.

Silver maple leaf with a Titanic Privy Mark

When a coin collector mentions the “silver maple leaf” most often he is referring to the one ounce Maple Leaf bullion coins mentioned above. However, during some years other special commemorative silver coins with a Maple Leaf design were minted by the RCM, such as: proofs coins, Olympic maple leafs, privy marked coins, and even smaller size Silver Maple Leaf coins. These special coins are usually one time mintages and the designs are not minted in multiple years.

Related articles soon to arrive, about:
Mintages of Maple Leaf Silver Coins

Gold Maple Leaf coins

Platinum Maple Leaf coins

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