Commems Collection Canadian: 2019 Golden Maple Leaf $15 Silver Coin

Patience. Sometimes fate shines brightly on those who wait.

Many collectors have one or more stories about how they waited for the right combination of factors - e.g., price, quality, pedigree - regarding a sought-after piece before adding it to their collection. I've had a few of these experiences over the years, here's my latest,,,

In 2019, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a Masters Club exclusive silver $15 coin - the Golden Maple Leaf. The coin combined traditional engraving with a touch of gold-plated embellishment. I passed on the opportunity to purchase the coin when it was released, but soon went on to regret the decision.

It's not the type of coin I typically add to my collection, but, for some reason, it kept drawing my attention each time I encountered it. More than five years ago, in November 2020, I posted about my regrets:

- 2019 Masters Club Golden Maple Leaf $15 Silver Coin

I'm happy to report, my days of regret are over! I am now a satisfied owner!

The coin's obverse, with its right-facing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, is the work of Susanna Blunt.

The coin's reverse was designed by Trevor Tennant. It features a wreath of overlapping maple leaves near the left and right rims = reminiscent of classic Canadian coinage of the mid-1800s through the early 20th century, with a bow tying it all together at the bottom; the denomination inscription of "15 DOLLARS" is intermingled with the ribbon.

Setting the design off from the norm is the sculpted, gold-plated maple leaf at the coin's center. The leaf is not struck into the coin's planchet, it is a three-dimensional, realistic element that is secured to the base coin's planchet. The design depth created by the attached maple leaf required the Mint to encapsulate the coin in a custom capsule that internally measures more than 2X the standard capsule for a 36 mm coin.

The coin had a limited mintage of 2,500, was struck on a silver (0.9999 fine) planchet with a diameter of 36.07 mm and a weight of 23.17 grams - the standard Silver Dollar specifications of the time. (I think the SD planchet size was part of what attracted me to the coin.) The piece had an Issue Price of $139.95 (CAD). The Mint distributed the coin in a nice wood case with a black velour interior.

Note: The Certificate of Authenticity ("COA") that came with the coin indicates a planchet of 0.9999 fine silver. I've seen some on-line references, however, to planchets of Sterling Silver (0.925 fine). To clarify things, the base planchet is 0.999 fine silver, the gold-plated Maple Leaf is Sterling Silver (0.925 fine) st its core (i.e., before plating).

The piece sold out and its price soon advanced on the secondary market. It is not/has not been unusual to see sellers asking for a premium of 100% (or more) for the coin (vs. Issue Price). I was not willing to pay such a large premium for the piece, so I waited. Periodically, I would check market prices on the piece, but they have always been higher than what I was willing to pay.

Recently, while searching for something unrelated, I came across one at a price point at which I was comfortable - and it included free shipping! I couldn't pass it up! A few mouse clicks later, it was on its way to me - and I present it here. (It's my Christmas present to me. I wonder how I knew I'd like it? )

Here are a few Royal Canadian Mint media images of the coin - I will add images of my coin as soon as I clear up a minor issue I'm having.

2019 Golden Maple Leaf $15 Silver Coin


2019 Golden Maple Leaf $15 Silver Coin - Side View



For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more Canadian stories, see: Commems Collection