Palladium Maple Leaf Coins: What They Are & Why They’re Valuable
Palladium maple leaf coins are an exquisitely rare collector’s item highly sought after by those who invest in fine metals and want to expand their portfolio. If you’re a coin collector, these bullion coins may be a strong addition to your existing collection due to their value and uniqueness. Keep reading to learn more about palladium maple leaf coins, what they are and why they are valuable.
What Are Palladium Maple Leaf Coins?
Palladium maple leaf coins are a mint of bullion coins from Canada. Each is worth $50 (Canadian) and features an embossed maple leaf on one side and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the other. These coins are part of a successful line of maple leaf coins printed by the Canadian Royal Mint. Palladium maple leaf coins are unique because they are the only palladium bullion coins accepted as legal tender that’s printed by a major government.
A snapshot of characteristics of palladium maple leaf coins includes:
- Front design: Each coin features a profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. This iconic image is pictured on more coins than any portrait.
- Reverse-side design: On the back of the coin is the familiar design of a Canadian maple leaf. This symbol is used on other bullion coins from the Canadian Royal Mint.
- Weight: 31.103 grams
- Thickness: 3.58 mm
- Diameter: 33.0 mm
A Brief History of Palladium Maple Leaf Coins
Image via Flickr by sirquitous.
The maple leaf bullion series is one of the most widely-recognizable and wildly popular coin series in existence. The palladium maple leaf bullion coin was added to the collection in 2005. Other coins include silver maple leaf coins, gold maple leaf coins, and platinum maple leaf coins.
In November 2005, the Canadian Royal Mint issued 40,000 palladium maple leaf coins. These became the first-ever palladium coins issued by a government’s mint. In the following two years, the mint decreased production.
In 2007, the final batch of coins was only 15,000 before they were ultimately discontinued. To meet a sharp increase in demand, the government minted a small batch of palladium maple leaf coins in 2009. This is one of the shortest coin releases in the history of the Canadian Royal Mint.
Because palladium is mostly mined from South Africa and Russia, it can be a difficult resource for world governments to come by consistently. For this reason, it has not been frequently used to produce bullion coins over the years. This makes the palladium maple leaf bullion coin even rarer.
What’s the Demand for Palladium Maple Leaf Coins?
Today, the palladium maple leaf coin is one of the most sought after items for coin collectors due to its rarity and unusual release schedule. However, it wasn’t always a high-demand item. In fact, when the coin was first released, it incurred a modest reception in the market and was discontinued relatively quickly.
Metals like gold, silver, and palladium have long offered collectors financial security in the face of changing economic conditions. After the recession of 2008, demand for palladium increased and suddenly the palladium coins were popular. People who could invest in precious metals were looking for palladium to diversify their portfolios of metal holdings. These coins can be added to IRA accounts and provide security in the event of financial instability, like gold and silver.
For this reason, the mint began to produce palladium maple leaf bullion coins again in 2009. This limited mint is the last time palladium maple leaf coins were created. Today a limited number of these coins exist. Because they are made of rare metal and there are so few of them, palladium maple leaf coins are highly coveted by collectors and investors.
Palladium and Society Today
Palladium is not one of the most common metals used for coins. However, it does have other uses in society today. A common use of palladium is in the automotive industry, which uses palladium to make catalytic converters for engines. Any industry that has machinery that requires an engine benefits from palladium. This commonly includes:
- Aeronautics
- Commercial airlines
- Transportation
- Manufacturing
- Agriculture
Catalytic converters serve the important purpose of making engine exhaust less toxic. Palladium isn’t the only metal that can be used to create a catalytic converter, but it is one of the least expensive and most reliable metals that manufacturers can procure for this purpose. This makes palladium a common substance used as a catalyst in converters designed to make engines safer.
Palladium is also used in components commonly found in electronic devices, like smartphones and laptops. That’s because palladium is in most multilayer ceramic capacitors, a key component in these devices. Multilayer ceramic capacitors serve the purpose of connecting important circuitry that allows the device to perform. Whether a catalytic convertor or multilayer ceramic capacitor, the purpose of palladium is to be a conductive catalyst.
The full spectrum of how palladium impacts society has yet to be established. Today, researchers are studying potential uses for palladium in chemistry with regards to energy and hydrogen storage. In this way, palladium may be the metal of the future and demand for it could increase yet again.
Palladium maple leaf coins are rare due to their limited release and because they are made of a metal that is not typically used for minting coins. If you’re an investor or collector, you might seek out palladium as a means to diversify your existing portfolio, expand your collection, and include in your IRA something that won’t lose value during changing economic conditions. With only a short run of coins released since it’s launch in 2005, palladium maple leaf coins are truly unique. For the best selection of rare coins, contact Americash Jewelry & Coin Buyers.
Tags: palladium coin guide, Palladium maple leaf coins, valuable palladium coins
