Description
Following the success of its Gold Maple Leaf, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced the Silver Maple Leaf in 1988 as a one-ounce coin of .9999 fine silver. Today’s coin weighs 31.11 grams, measures 38 mm in diameter with a serrated edge, and carries a CAD $5 face value as Canadian legal tender.
The reverse features Walter Ott’s single sugar maple leaf, Canada’s best-known national symbol, set against precision-machined radial lines. Those lines give the coin a distinctive shimmer and make it harder to counterfeit. The reverse also carries the inscriptions CANADA, 9999 and FINE SILVER 1 OZ ARGENT PUR. Most coins dated 2024 and later show King Charles III on the obverse in a portrait by Steven Rosati; earlier coins carry Queen Elizabeth II.
Buyers often compare the Silver Maple Leaf with the American Silver Eagle. The Maple Leaf is purer, at 99.99% silver rather than 99.9%, and it often carries a lower premium, while both contain one troy ounce of silver and are backed by a sovereign mint. Like other high-purity silver, the coin can develop white “milk spots” or toning over time; these affect appearance but not silver content.
The Silver Maple Leaf’s combination of purity, security and recognition makes it a widely traded choice. Its .9999 fineness allows it to be considered for a self-directed IRA under the tax code’s bullion rules, subject to custodian approval.
