The 1979 1oz Gold Maple Leaf Bullion Coin is the first year of Canada’s Gold Maple Leaf series, struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in one troy ounce of .999 fine gold. As the launch date for the range, it has a special place in modern bullion history and is one of the key issues for collectors building a complete Gold Maple Leaf date run.
The reverse features Walter Ott maple leaf reverse, one of the most recognisable national emblems in modern bullion coinage. The obverse features Queen Elizabeth II (Arnold Machin effigy), placing the coin within its correct Canadian monarch portrait period and helping distinguish it from neighbouring dates.
Because 1979 is a transition or key-context year for the Gold Maple Leaf, it carries stronger catalogue interest than a routine bullion date. Collectors often look for these issues when building runs by purity era, security-feature era or monarch portrait.
