Canadian Gold Collectibles

Today, many coins are considered of collectible value. These fine works are diverse and are wonderful memorabilia.

The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf

Introduced in 1979 as the world's first pure gold bullion coin, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf has sold over 20 million ounces of bullion. Today, the Gold Maple Leaf comes in 1 ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce sizes. Every year, a new series of Maple Leaves is made and all are made with extra-pure .9999 fine gold.

The popularity of the Gold Maple Leaf has led to many collectible versions. Some such versions are coins with special privy marks on the reverse, hologram coins, Lunar Zodiac coins, Canadian Wildlife coins, and special commemorative.

Commemorative Vancouver Olympics Coin

One such coin is the 2008 Vancouver Olympics commemorative coin. The coin celebrates the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Yes, that’s right the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. The coin was produced for three years before the start of the Winter Olympics, hence the 2007, 2008, and 2009 dates for these coins. The 2008 commemorative coins depict Ilanaaq the Inukshuk. Ilanaaq the inukshuk was named Ilanaaq to convey international amicability, as Ilanaaq is the Inuit word for friend.

Inukshuk are monuments meant to help people find their way. Inukshuk translates to, “something which acts or performs the function of a person.” Inuksuit, the plural of inukshuk, are extraordinary monuments which are symbolic of the 2010 Winter Olympics motto, to have worldwide friendship and welcoming. Olympic commemorative coins are an ideal way to celebrate the olympics and to invest in quality gold.

Klondike Gold Rush Commemorative Coin

The magnificent portrayal of the Klondike Gold Rush on the 1996 commemorative coin memorializes the 100 year anniversary of the event in an astounding manner.

The Canadian gold cache was discovered in early August of 1896 by Skookum Jim and George Carmack. The two were travelling in a group with Jim’s sister, Carmack’s wife, and nephew along the Klondike River. They began to prospect on a creek flowing from the Klondike based on a suggestion from another prospector in the area. Because Skookum Jim was a Tagish native american, it was feared that if the discovery were attributed to him, authorities would not recognize his claim. Subsequently, it was agreed to let Carmack take the credit for the discovery.

News of the discovery reached other parts of the world by the end of August. By this time, the creek, now known as Bonanza creek, had been wholly claimed by many prospectors. It is estimated that approximately 100,000 people attempted to prospect in the Yukon region, however only about half of them actually made it to the Klondike and only a few thousand made any profit.