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What a Canadian Maple Leaf coin is
The Maple Leaf is Canada’s government bullion coin. Gold Maples are .9999 fine. Silver Maples are one ounce of .9999 silver. Shops treat them as first-tier bullion.
The Maple Leaf is the Royal Canadian Mint’s bullion coin.
Gold Maple
.9999 fine — four nines — and, in the one-ounce size, one troy ounce of gold. Soft compared with a 22k Eagle or Krugerrand, so it marks more easily. Still one of the three or four coins every US shop knows without a book.
Silver Maple
One ounce of .9999 silver. Same idea. Sometimes more spotting than people expect from “four nines.” Still a Maple. The complaint is the same family as Eagle milk spots.
Purity is not the whole bid
A shop is buying recognition and resale, not winning a purity contest. A one-ounce Maple and a one-ounce Eagle both contain one ounce of gold. The Eagle is a heavier coin because of alloy. Fineness. Gold Eagle spec.
Radial lines and other security details exist on later Maples. We still weigh them. Tests. Government vs generic.
Continue in the coin and money library. Related visitor guides: for shop visitors.