1.5 oz Maple Leaf Silver Coin

The 1.5oz Silver Maple Leaf SuperLeaf

The 1.5oz Silver Maple Leaf, marketed as the SuperLeaf, is a Royal Canadian Mint exclusive. No other major mint produces bullion at the 1.5 troy ounce weight, which works out to 46.66 grams of .9999 fine silver, 50% more metal than the standard 1oz Silver Maple Leaf. The RCM conceived the format as a way to offer more silver per coin without jumping to the far more expensive multi-ounce sizes, and it remains unique to the Mint's product line.

The reverse carries a three maple leaves design modelled after the 2007 Million Dollar Maple Leaf coin, distinguishing it visually from the single sugar maple leaf used on the rest of the Silver Maple Leaf series. The face value is also unusual: C$8, where standard RCM silver Maple Leafs carry C$5.

The defining fact for buyers is that the SuperLeaf is no longer minted. The silver version was first issued in 2015 and produced through 2017, so every coin on the market today comes from secondary market stock or remaining dealer inventory. That finite supply is gradually thinning, which could support long-term resale value, though it has not yet created a significant collector premium. Premiums on the silver SuperLeaf have typically run 4-8% over spot, comparable on a per-ounce basis to standard 1oz Maple Leafs, because the coin is government-minted with the same security features. The advantage of the format is convenience, fewer coins to handle for the same silver, rather than cost efficiency.

1.5oz Silver SuperLeaf Specifications

The coin carries the Royal Canadian Mint's modern anti-counterfeiting package. A maple leaf privy mark with the year of issue is micro-laser engraved onto the coin and is visible only under magnification. Radial lines are precisely machined across both faces, creating a light-diffracting pattern that is extremely difficult to replicate. These are the same security features applied to the Mint's standard silver bullion coins of the period.

One feature the SuperLeaf predates is MintShield, the RCM's invisible surface coating that reduces the formation of milk spots, the white calcium deposits that have affected silver coins industry-wide. MintShield was applied to Silver Maple Leaf coins from 2018 onwards, after SuperLeaf production had ended, so buyers should inspect secondary market SuperLeafs for spotting as they would any pre-2018 RCM silver. Milk spots are cosmetic only and do not affect silver content or melt value.

1.5oz Silver Maple Leaf Tax Treatment by Country

Canada: at .9999 fineness the SuperLeaf comfortably clears the federal purity threshold (99.9%) for the GST/HST exemption on silver in coin form, so purchases attract no sales tax. Capital gains on disposal are taxed at the 50% inclusion rate, meaning half the gain is added to income and taxed at your marginal rate. Under the Listed Personal Property rule, a coin both bought and sold for under $1,000 CAD produces no reportable gain or loss. Qualifying bullion is eligible for RRSPs and TFSAs, subject to purity and custodian rules; gains inside a TFSA are tax-free.

United States: sales tax depends on the buyer's state; roughly 35 states exempt bullion, others tax it or apply threshold-based exemptions. The coin meets the IRS purity requirement for silver in a precious metals IRA (99.9% or finer), provided it is held by an approved custodian rather than personally. Long-term gains outside retirement accounts are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.

United Kingdom: silver coins attract 20% VAT on new purchases. The SuperLeaf is Canadian legal tender, not UK legal tender, so it carries no CGT exemption; gains are taxable above the annual allowance.

EU: silver is charged at each country's full standard VAT rate (17-27%), though some countries apply margin scheme taxation to pre-owned coins, which suits a product that now trades entirely on the secondary market.

Australia, New Zealand and Singapore: the coin's .9999 purity exceeds the investment-grade silver thresholds in all three (99.9%), so it is GST-free. Hong Kong levies no sales tax, import duty or capital gains tax on bullion.

SuperLeaf vs the 1oz Maple Leaf, 10oz Maple Leaf, and Silver Eagle

Against the 1oz Silver Maple Leaf, the SuperLeaf offers no real premium saving: per-ounce premiums are similar because both are government-minted coins with the same security features. The 1oz coin is still in production, is recognised everywhere, and stacks in standard tubes, while the SuperLeaf has no tube or multi-coin packaging standard specific to its size. Liquidity is the practical difference. The SuperLeaf is accepted by all major North American dealers as an RCM product with .9999 fineness, but some dealers may need to look up the product before quoting a buyback price, and European and Asian dealers may be unfamiliar with it. A common question is whether to buy one SuperLeaf or two 1oz coins; two standard Maple Leafs contain more silver in total and have wider market recognition, while the SuperLeaf's case rests on its unique three-leaf design and finite 2015-2017 mintage.

Moving up the scale, the 10oz Silver Maple Leaf suits buyers prioritising metal volume over divisibility, with a C$50 face value and the same .9999 purity.

Against the 1oz American Silver Eagle, the SuperLeaf wins on purity (.9999 vs .999) and on cost: the Silver Eagle historically commands the highest premiums among standard 1oz government coins, often 5-10% above other sovereign issues, driven by US collector demand. The Eagle's counterweight is resale: it has the highest buyback demand in the US market and often recovers more of its premium on sale.