The Platinum Maple Leaf is a 1 troy ounce (31.16 g), .9999-fine platinum bullion coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, carrying a face value of 50 Canadian dollars on its standard bullion issue. Dealers priced the coin at an 8.9% premium over spot on 5-6 August 2026, according to JM Bullion, a premium that sits between a plain platinum bar and the more heavily marked-up American Platinum Eagle. What does the mint actually publish about this coin's mintage, and does it still qualify for a US precious metals IRA? This page sets out the coin's specifications, its fractional-size and proof-edition history, its published mintage (or the declared absence of one), its current dealer premium and its IRA status, each fact dated and sourced, before comparing it with plain platinum bars.
What Is the Platinum Maple Leaf?#
The Platinum Maple Leaf is a platinum bullion coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, first issued in 1988. It is one of the sovereign coins covered under investing in platinum, alongside bars, ETFs, stocks and futures. The mint halted the program in 2002 and resumed it in 2009, and the coin remains in current production today, struck only in the 1 troy ounce size. DailyPlatinum's sourced references do not confirm a single "X times rarer than gold" multiple for any platinum group metal, since a crustal-abundance basis and an annual-mine-production basis give different multiples; no specific figure is stated here as fact.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Country | Canada |
| Metal | Platinum |
| First year | 1988 |
| Status | Halted 2002 to 2009; resumed 2009, struck at 1 oz only |
Platinum Maple Leaf Specifications#
The Platinum Maple Leaf weighs 1 troy ounce (31.16 g) of .9999-fine platinum, in a 30 mm diameter with a serrated edge, per the Royal Canadian Mint's own product listing. From 1988 to 2002 the mint struck the coin at .9995 fine; production resumed in 2009 at the finer .9999 standard. The standard bullion issue carries a face value of C$50, legal tender in Canada at that stated denomination, not at the coin's platinum content or market value.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1 troy oz (31.16 g) |
| Fineness | .9999 (2009-present); .9995 (1988-2002) |
| Diameter | 30 mm |
| Edge | Serrated |
| Face value | C$50 (standard bullion issue) |
| Legal tender basis | Canada, at face value only |
Platinum Maple Leaf Fractional Sizes#
The Platinum Maple Leaf has also been struck in four fractional sizes: 1/2, 1/4, 1/10 and 1/20 troy ounce, the last added in 1993, plus a one-year-only 1/15 troy ounce piece in 1994. Each carried its own Canadian-dollar face value, listed below with its troy-ounce weight and the equivalent gram weight (a DailyPlatinum calculation from the stated fraction; diameters for the individual fractional sizes are not established in DailyPlatinum's sources). None of these fractional sizes has returned since the program resumed in 2009, when the mint narrowed bullion production to the 1 oz size only.
| Denomination | Face value | Weight (troy oz) | Weight (g, DailyPlatinum calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 oz | C$20 | 0.5 | 15.55 |
| 1/4 oz | C$10 | 0.25 | 7.78 |
| 1/10 oz | C$5 | 0.1 | 3.11 |
| 1/20 oz (from 1993) | C$1 | 0.05 | 1.56 |
| 1/15 oz (1994 only) | Not established in DailyPlatinum's sources | 0.0667 | 2.07 |
Platinum Maple Leaf Design Series and Anniversaries#
The Royal Canadian Mint has issued an annual "Maple Leaf Forever" 1 oz platinum reverse-proof collector edition alongside the standard bullion coin, observed in 2024, 2025 and 2026 on the mint's own product archive. That reverse-proof edition carries a face value of C$300, distinct from the C$50 face value of the standard bullion issue, and buyers should not treat the two as the same product despite sharing the same 1 oz platinum content. DailyPlatinum's sources do not give a designer name or a start year for the "Maple Leaf Forever" series earlier than its 2024 appearance in the mint's archive.
Platinum Maple Leaf Mintage#
The Royal Canadian Mint does not publish an annual mintage figure for the bullion Platinum Maple Leaf, and DailyPlatinum's sources found no published mintage limit for the annual "Maple Leaf Forever" reverse-proof edition either. That leaves the coin's bullion output, and the proof edition's collector-market scarcity, undocumented by the mint itself; the US Mint publishes a mintage limit for its own comparable proof platinum coin (15,000 pieces for the 2026-W Proof American Eagle), a transparency practice the Royal Canadian Mint does not appear to match for the Platinum Maple Leaf.
Current Platinum Maple Leaf Premium Over Spot#
As of 5-6 August 2026, JM Bullion priced the 1 oz Platinum Maple Leaf at $1,920.89, an 8.9% premium over that day's $1,763.90 platinum spot ask. That $156.99 premium sits above a plain 1 oz platinum bar's 7.2% and below the American Platinum Eagle's 19.7%, reflecting the added cost of striking a sovereign coin over a bar. Current live pricing across units and currencies is on platinum price today; the figures below are dated dealer data, not a live quote.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Dealer and date | JM Bullion, 5-6 August 2026 |
| Platinum spot ask (reference) | $1,763.90/oz |
| 1 oz Platinum Maple Leaf dealer price | $1,920.89 |
| Premium over spot | $156.99 (8.9%) |
What Drives the Platinum Maple Leaf's Premium#
Three factors set the Platinum Maple Leaf's premium: coin size, its sovereign legal-tender status, and current platinum lease rates.
- Unit size: fabrication cost per piece is largely fixed, so JM Bullion's 5-6 August 2026 data shows premiums falling as unit size grows, from 8.9% on this 1 oz coin down to 5.2% on a 1 kg bar.
- Sovereign status: a legal-tender coin carries a recognizability premium over a bar, though the Maple Leaf's 8.9% is modest next to the American Platinum Eagle's 19.7%, which reflects US Mint pricing to authorized purchasers.
- Platinum lease rates: the World Platinum Investment Council's Platinum Quarterly Q1 2026 reports that elevated lease rates made small coin and bar production "prohibitively expensive" for some fabricators in 2026.
When lease rates rise sharply, fabricators often withdraw small coins and bars rather than raise prices smoothly, which can widen premiums and create out-of-stock listings at the same time.
Is the Platinum Maple Leaf IRA-Eligible?#
The Platinum Maple Leaf meets the IRA purity threshold for platinum under IRC section 408(m)(3)(B) in both of its fineness eras: .9995 from 1988 to 2002 and .9999 from 2009 to today, each at or above the required 0.9995 minimum. That threshold follows from section 408(m)(3)(B)'s bullion exception, tied to the NYMEX platinum futures delivery standard, a stricter bar than gold's 0.995 minimum. An IRA must still hold the coin through an IRS-approved trustee and depository; personal possession triggers a taxable distribution of the entire account.
Platinum Maple Leaf Compared with Platinum Bars#
Gram for gram, the Platinum Maple Leaf carries a higher premium than a plain platinum bar, in exchange for sovereign recognizability and IRA eligibility at any fineness era the mint has struck it. JM Bullion's 5-6 August 2026 data puts the coin's 8.9% premium above every bar size it lists, from a 1 kg bar's 5.2% to a 1 oz bar's 7.2%, though still well below the American Platinum Eagle's 19.7%. Gold, silver and other precious metals sit outside this comparison; platinum's own pricing relative to gold is tracked separately on platinum price today, not on this coin page.
| Product | Premium over spot |
|---|---|
| 1 kg platinum bar | 5.2% |
| 10 oz platinum bar | 6.1% |
| 1 oz platinum bar | 7.2% |
| 1 oz Platinum Maple Leaf | 8.9% |
| 1 oz Australian Platinum Kangaroo | 9.1% |
| 1 oz American Platinum Eagle | 19.7% |
Source: JM Bullion, single-unit cash price, 5-6 August 2026, referenced to a $1,763.90/oz platinum spot ask.
Other Platinum Bullion Coins#
Several other mints strike their own platinum bullion coins alongside the Royal Canadian Mint's Maple Leaf, listed below with issuer, fineness and first year.
- American Platinum Eagle: US Mint, .9995 fine, since 1997.
- Australian Platinum Kangaroo: Perth Mint, .9995 fine.
- Platinum Britannia: Royal Mint, 999.5 fine, since 2018.
- Platinum Vienna Philharmonic: Austrian Mint, .9995 fine, since 2016.
- Isle of Man Platinum Noble: Pobjoy Mint, .9995 fine, since 1983, the first one-ounce platinum investment coin.
The Royal Canadian Mint also strikes a Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf, a separate .9995-fine 1 oz coin with a C$50 face value, first issued in 2005.
Frequently Asked Questions#
What is the value of 1 oz of platinum coin?#
A coin's market value differs from its face value: the Maple Leaf's C$50 face value is a fixed legal-tender denomination, while its market value tracks the platinum spot price plus a dealer premium. JM Bullion priced the coin at $1,920.89, an 8.9% premium over spot, on 5-6 August 2026.
Why is platinum hard to sell?#
Platinum bullion can be hard to sell quickly at a tight spread when dealer premiums widen or products go out of stock. The World Platinum Investment Council ties this to elevated platinum lease rates, which made small coin and bar production "prohibitively expensive" for some fabricators in 2026.
Are platinum coins worth buying?#
DailyPlatinum does not give personalized investment advice. The sourced facts on this page, the coin's 8.9% dealer premium (5-6 August 2026), its IRA eligibility under IRC section 408(m)(3)(B), and its higher premium than a plain platinum bar, are the basis on which a buyer weighs the decision.
What is 1 lb of platinum worth?#
One avoirdupois pound equals 453.6 g, or 14.5833 troy ounces (a DailyPlatinum unit conversion), so a pound of platinum is worth 14.5833 times the live per-ounce price. Live pricing by weight, including per-pound figures, is tracked on platinum price per pound.
What metal is 30 times rarer than gold?#
DailyPlatinum's sources do not confirm a specific "30 times rarer than gold" figure for any platinum group metal. Rarity comparisons depend on whether they use crustal abundance or annual mine output, and the two bases give different multiples, so no single figure is stated here as fact.
Is platinum more expensive than 24k gold?#
This page does not carry live platinum-versus-gold pricing. Karat is a gold-specific purity scale (24k meaning 999-fine gold), not a unit used for platinum, whose purity is stated in fineness, such as the Maple Leaf's .9999 fine; current platinum pricing by itself is on platinum price today.