The worlds second biggest selling silver bullion coin after the ubiquitous American Silver Eagle (ASE), the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf can be found and purchased just about everywhere silver coins are sold. Instantly recognisable, they’re seen as one of those coins that can be stacked in huge numbers because of the very low premium over the spot price of silver. The downside for collectors is that the coin, like the ASE and the Austrian Philharmonic, has virtually zero numismatic value. Numbers are one thing, over 20 million a year, but the kiss of death for collectability is a design that almost never changes, the last time for nothing more than new security features.

Many years ago back in 1998, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) began issuing ‘Privy-Mark’ versions of the CML, a standard coin with a small symbol struck into the reverse face. They tend to commemorate an event, often the lunar animal of that year, historical anniversary (VE Day, D-Day) or landmark (Pisa, London Bridge). The beauty of these are that they hold tremendous collector appeal. In most cases the mintage is usually below 50,000. That sounds a lot when you consider it’s greater than the total mintage of some of the lesser known world silver bullion coins, but it’s a pittance compared to the millions of unmarked Maples that get sold. The 2012 Titanic privy had a mintage of 25,000 compared to over 18,000,000 standard coins; a staggering ratio of 720-to-1, and the 2008 F12 privy an even bigger ratio of 1,580-to-1.

A short while ago, the RCM launched the first in a new six-coin run of privy’s called ‘Wild Canada’. A popular Canadian theme, the first coin features the Howling Wolf, a motif that’s been appearing on many RCM coins lately. Depicting a miniature version of the full coin artwork, it’s a nice design, and the mint are already promising a Roaring Grizzly Bear for next year with an identical 50,000 unit mintage. The wolf design has now sold out at the mint, although you should still be able to pick them up, we felt this was a good time to give the heads up before prices start to climb. If you miss out where you are, other recent designs pictured below right include Einstein and the new Lunar Monkey. All should sell for a greater premium than a standard coin for the obvious reasons, but certainly not an excessive one for the collector. Stackers will likely want to stick with the bargain basement standard coin.

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Ottawa, Ontario – December 3, 2015 – The first release in a new series of six “Wild Canada” privy-marked Silver Maple Leaf (SML) bullion coins has sold out it entire mintage of 50,000 coins. Featuring a howling wolf privy mark, this 2016-dated SML has exceeded expectations by selling out in less than six weeks. The next coin in the series, to feature a roaring grizzly bear, will be launched in early 2016, with a mintage also limited to only 50,000 examples world-wide.

Crafted of 99.99% pure silver, the Silver Maple Leaf is one of the world’s favourite silver bullion coins. The addition of six intricately engraved “Wild Canada” privy marks to this iconic silver bullion coin, as well as a reverse proof finish, give a new level of exclusivity to a coin already prized for its unrivaled purity and craftsmanship

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