The Silver Maple Leaf is issued annually by the
Government of
Canada. Introduced in 1988 by the
Royal Canadian Mint, there have been four subsequent standard editions and several special editions. The Silver Maple Leaf's
obverse displayed the profile of
Elizabeth II up until 2023. There have been three subsequent versions of the Queen's profile: • 1988–1989: Portrait by
Arnold Machin. • 1990–2003: Portrait by
Dora de Pédery-Hunt. • 2004–2023: Portrait by
Susanna Blunt. Canadian coins released to the public starting in 2024 now bear a new obverse of her successor King
Charles III. • 2024–Present: Portrait by Steven Rosati. The Silver Maple Leaf's
reverse displays the
Canadian Maple Leaf. This design has remained unchanged since 1988. In 2014, however, new security features were introduced: radial lines and a micro-engraved laser mark. Also the obverse was affected by this. The phrases CANADA and FINE SILVER 1 OZ ARGENT PUR are universal elements. Granted a
face value of 5
Canadian dollars, the Silver Maple Leaf has status as
legal tender. It has also a
market value that depends on the
spot price of
silver and that normally exceeds the nominal face value. With few exceptions and alike similar international bullion coins, the Silver Maple Leaf has a weight of 1
troy ounce (31.1 grams). The 99.99% silver content makes the coin among the finest official bullion coins worldwide. Samples of the Silver Maple Leaf often carry a blemish that has a milky-white appearance, called a milk spot. This happens when a cleaning detergent is left on the coin when it goes into the annealing furnace. This issue was addressed in 2018 with the RCM introduction of "MINTSHIELD" surface protection technology to prevent milk spots. The Silver Maple Leaf was originally packaged in
boPET. Since 2009, due to increasing demand, it is packaged in semi-transparent tubes with a yellow lid bearing the RCM logo. Some special editions have tubes with an orange, red, blue, dark blue or grey lid. Each tube contains 25 coins. Furthermore, there exist boxes that contain 20 tubes each. == Specifications ==