Big Maple Leaf
Canada | |
| Value | 4 million Canadian dollars |
|---|---|
| Mass | 100,000 g |
| Diameter | 530 mm |
| Composition | 999.99/1000 gold |
| Gold | 3,215 troy oz |
| Years of minting | 0 |
| Mintage | 6 |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Stanley Witten |
| Reverse | |
The Big Maple Leaf is one of six[1] gold coins each weighing 100 kilograms (220 lb) (3,215 troy ounces). They have a face value of one million Canadian dollars, and in March 2017, were worth approximately four million U.S. dollars each.[2] On March 27, 2017, one of the coins was stolen from a Berlin museum.
Description
The coins measure 3 centimetres (1.2 in) thick and 53 centimetres (21 in) in diameter and are 999.99/1000 pure. They were produced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007. The obverse displays a stylized maple leaf. The reverse shows Queen Elizabeth II.[3]
Theft of one of the coins
In the early hours of March 27, 2017, one of the coins was stolen from the Münzkabinett (coin cabinet) of the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany.[1] The cabinet is known for its huge collection of coins — more than 500,000 pieces, among them more than 100,000 Greek and 50,000 Roman ones — though only a tiny fraction of these coins are shown at exhibits.
A spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mint said "...the stolen coin does not belong to the mint. After creating the original (which is in storage in Ottawa), the mint manufactured five more that were sold to interested private individuals."[1] The coin was acquired by the Bode Museum in 2010, and was displayed there until it was stolen.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "Massive $1M gold coin from Canadian Mint stolen in Berlin". cbc.ca/news. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Donie (27 March 2017). "200-lb gold coin worth estimated $4 million is stolen from German museum". cnn.com. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
- ^ "Thieves nab 221-pound gold coin from German museum". usatoday.com. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
- ^ Katz, Brigit (28 March 2017). "World's Largest Gold Coin Stolen From Berlin Museum". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 29 March 2017.