The Royal Canadian Mint jumped on the opportunity to produce platinum bullion coins even before the demand of such coins heated up in the late 1990’s. The Platinum Maple Leaf is as old as the Silver Maple Leaf, however, has not shared the same longevity as it’s silver counterpart.

The Platinum Maple Leaf, introduced in 1988, was produced with .9995 pure platinum, in 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz denominations. The first design that showcased an impression of Britain’s 39-year-old Queen Elizabeth II only lasted until 1990. That year marked the production of  Canadian coins, including the Gold Maple Leaf and Silver Maple Leaf, with a impression of a 64-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, still produced in the same denominations. In 1993, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced the 1/20 oz denomination. The following year the 1/15 oz denomination was introduced, but was not as excepted as the mint had hoped. This forced the mint to discontinue the production of that denomination. The next five years, 1995-1999, the Platinum Maple Leaf’s design, as well as the types of denominations, remained constant. Production ended in 1999, and wouldn’t pick up for another two years.

The Platinum Maple Leaf Bullion coin’s produced in 2002, are special coinage. The image remained the same and the denominations of the coins remained the same of those produced in 1993, and 1995-1999, however, only 500 sets were produced in each denomination. Also, the fact that they were hologram Platinum Maple Leaf Bullion coins make them even more of a rarity. Production of the Platinum Maple Leaf did not continue after 2002.

The Royal Canadian Mint is trying to stage a comeback for the Platinum Maple Leaf, and have recently reintroduced the coin in the 1 oz. denomination only. This edition of the bullion coin differentiates from the others of previous years by now boasting the image of the 79-year-old Queen Elizabeth II. The future of the Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf Bullion coin is not certain, which makes adding one of these coins to your estate before production is halted again,  a no-brainer.

Legal tender coinage took a huge step in 1997, as this marked the first year that the United States Government minted and issued breakthrough coins made of .9995 pure platinum.

Being a U.S. coinage milestone should be enough persuasion to make this a must have coin to add to your estate. If that isn’t convincing enough, there are many reasons that this coin will be held in high regard in the future.

In 2004, the U.S. Mint added to the design of the coin by unveiling a new reverse design on them. This forced a separation between the new design, and the original design introduced in 1997. Those coins with the first design, minted from 1997-2003, are labeled as Type I Platinum Eagles. The coins that were minted post-2003 are labeled as Type II Platinum Eagles. Because the coins are minted from such a rare metal, the rarest ever minted by the U.S., the $100 Platinum Eagle is the highest denomination U.S. legal tender coin in U.S. Mint history. The United States Congress has classified the coins as “numismatic”, and approved them as a legally qualified investment coins through you personal IRA plan.

Still waiting for the 2009 Platinum Eagles? So are we! On October 25, 2008, the U.S. Mint announced the sale of the final inventory of Platinum Eagle bullion coins. Thirty days later, they announced the depletion of their inventory, and proclaimed that the release date for the 2009 coins would be delayed. The future of the American Platinum Eagle is  in jeopardy, which makes owning these coins even more valuable.