The 1 oz. Canada .9999 Fine Gold Maple Leaf, of course, has the iconic Canadian Maple Leaf struck on its reverse. That's the name of the coin, and it's the image most often associated with these Canadian bullion coins. The coin also features the latest portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to be created for the Gold coin at the time the coin was minted. The story of how artist Susanna Blunt came to be chosen to create the latest portrait is a fascinating one.

Susanna Blunt is a Canadian artist who went to art school before studying at the Royal Academy of Arts for four years. After working with Yoko Ono on several art projects, Blunt went to California to teach art. Next, she returned to Vancouver to teach and eventually taught in the University of British Columbia.

After painting a portrait of Prince Edward and delivering it to Buckingham Palace, the Canadian Mint chose Blunt as one of nine artists to compete for the honor of drawing the design for Canadian bullion coins. The winning design would be placed on these coins, including the 1 oz. Gold Maple Leaf coin, starting in 2003. Earlier coins were designed by other artists.

Blunt started creating the design immediately. The Queen did not sit for her portrait, but instead, Blunt worked from a photo of the Queen. When she finished her unique image, it was chosen as the best. The Canada 1 oz. Gold Maple Leaf Random Year offered by GMRgold shows Blunt's image beautifully.

GMRgold is committed to offering excellent silver and gold products, such as this .9999 Fine Gold coin. We are happy to discuss all your silver and gold investment options with you. Simply call our GMRgold Precious Metals Investment Experts at 1 (877) 795-9585 to learn more.