Description
The Royal Canadian Mint introduced the Platinum Maple Leaf in 1988, the same year as the Silver Maple Leaf, extending the success of its Gold Maple Leaf to other metals. Each one-ounce coin weighs 31.11 grams, is struck from 99.95% pure platinum and measures 30 mm across with a serrated edge. It carries a CAD $50 face value as Canadian legal tender.
The reverse features the sugar maple leaf, Canada’s best-known national symbol, set against the Mint’s precision-machined radial lines, with the inscriptions CANADA, 9995 and FINE PLATINUM 1 OZ PLATINE PUR. Most coins dated 2024 and later carry Steven Rosati’s portrait of King Charles III on the obverse; earlier coins show Queen Elizabeth II.
For investors who prefer sovereign coins to bars, the Platinum Maple Leaf is one of the most recognized platinum bullion coins, offering the Royal Canadian Mint’s quality standards and a government-backed face value. Coins generally carry a higher premium than platinum bars of the same weight.
Platinum’s price is shaped by industrial demand, especially from the automotive sector, as well as by investment flows, so it can behave quite differently from gold and is often more volatile. Some investors hold platinum to diversify within precious metals. At .9995 fineness, the Platinum Maple Leaf may be considered for a self-directed IRA under the tax code’s bullion rules, subject to custodian approval.
