Big Maple Leaf facts for kids
| Canada | |
| Value | 1000000 Canadian dollar |
|---|---|
| Mass | 100,000 g |
| Diameter | 530 mm |
| Composition | 999.99/1000 gold |
| Gold | 3,215 troy oz |
| Years of minting | 1 |
| Mintage | 5 |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Susanna Blunt |
| Design date | 2003 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | Hand-polished stylized maple leaf |
| Designer | Stanley Witten |
The Big Maple Leaf (BML) is a giant gold coin from Canada. It's worth $1 million Canadian dollars! This coin is super heavy, weighing 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds). That's like two grown-ups!
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) made five of these special coins in 2007. One of them is still kept safely at the Mint in Ottawa.
In 2007, the Big Maple Leaf was recognized by Guinness World Records. It was the biggest gold coin in the world. It also had amazing gold purity, meaning it was almost 100% pure gold (99.999 per cent).
As of March 2017[update], one of these coins was worth about $4 million US dollars. Sadly, one was stolen from a museum in Berlin in March 2017.
The Big Maple Leaf was the largest gold coin until 2011. That's when Australia made an even bigger one, the 1-tonne Australian Gold Nugget ("Gold Kangaroo").
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Big Maple Leaf coin is about 2.8 centimeters (just over an inch) thick. It measures 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) across. It is made of 99.999% pure gold.
The Front (Obverse)
The front side of the coin, called the obverse, shows a picture of Queen Elizabeth II. This design has been on Canadian coins as of 2003[update]. The artist who created this design was Susanna Blunt. She wanted to show the Queen looking dignified as she got older. In this design, the Queen is not wearing a crown.
The Back (Reverse)
The back side of the coin, called the reverse, has a beautiful maple leaf design. This maple leaf is a symbol of Canada. It was created by Stanley Witten, a talented artist and engraver at the Royal Canadian Mint.
The Coin That Was Stolen
In the early morning of March 27, 2017, one of the Big Maple Leaf coins was stolen. It was taken from the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany. The museum has a huge collection of coins, with over 500,000 pieces.
The stolen coin had been loaned to the Bode Museum in 2010 by its private owner, Boris Fuchsmann. It was on display there until the theft happened.
What Happened After the Theft?
In July 2017, police investigated the theft and made arrests. Investigators believe the coin might have been damaged when it was dropped during the theft.
In January 2019, a trial began for four people connected to the theft. Two brothers and their cousin were involved. A fourth person, who worked at the Bode Museum, was also charged. He was found guilty of helping the others by sharing information about the museum's security.
The trial ended in February 2020. The two brothers and the museum employee were found guilty. They received prison sentences. The fourth person was found not guilty because there wasn't enough evidence. The court also ordered the guilty individuals to pay back a large amount of money.
Where Is the Coin Now?
No one knows where the stolen gold coin is today. Investigators found tiny bits of pure gold dust on clothes and a car that were seized. They think the robbers might have melted the coin down. If it was melted, the gold would have been sold.
