The Canadian Gold Maple Leaf is the official gold bullion coin of Canada, and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The coin was the result of efforts by Walter Ott while he was the Chief Engraver at the Canadian Mint, who wanted to offer an alternative to the popular South African Krugerrand.

The coin was first produced in 1979 and is one of the purest gold regular-issue coins in the world and has a gold content of .9999 (24 carats), with some special issues at .99999 fine. Meaning, it contains virtually no alloy metals at all—only pure gold, from Canadian mines. At the time the only bullion coin was the Krugerrand, which was somewhat scarce because of the economic ban on apartheid-era South Africa. Coins minted between 1979 and 1982 have a gold content of .999.

The design of the gold Maple Leaf coin by Arnold Machin, is effectively unchanged from the time it was introduced. The image of Queen Elizabeth II appears on the obverse (front side) of the coin, reflecting the different stages of maturity across the span of time. The reverse (back side) depicts a single Canadian Maple Leaf, the national symbol of Canada. The highly detailed design has a highly reflective, proof-like strike.

The Maple Leaf is also struck in 1⁄20, 1⁄10, 1⁄4, and 1⁄2 troy ounce coins and are identical miniatures of the one-troy-ounce coin design, except for indications on the obverse and reverse sides showing the weight and face value of the coin. In 1994, 1⁄15 oz. ($2.00 face value) gold and platinum coins were issued, likely for use in jewelry. Owing to their lack of popularity, 1994 is the only year in which 1⁄15 oz gold and platinum bullion coins were minted.

In 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint produced a $1 million (face value) Gold Maple Leaf coin, although the gold content was worth over $2 million at that time. The “coin” measures 50 cm in diameter by 3 cm thick and has a mass of 100 kg, and a purity of 99.999%. The coin was produced primarily as a promotional product, to give the mint a higher international presence. The hundred-kilogram coin was developed as a one-off-a-kind showpiece to generate interest in the mint’s new line of 99.999-percent-pure one-ounce Gold Maple Leaf bullion coins. However, after several buyers came forward, the mint announced it would manufacture them as ordered and would sell them, at that time, for between $2.5 and $3 million. As of May 3, 2007 there were five confirmed orders.