The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is 100% owned by the Government of Canada, and operates like any other big company. In 1901 the Royal Mint of England decided to build an operation in Ottawa, Canada. Prior to this all Canadian coins were minted in the UK. In 1908 the mint in Canada was completed and began production, then 1931 saw the RCM gain independence from the UK mint and control its own operation.
In 1976 the Mint operation expanded to Winnipeg due to a need for increased production capacity. The RCM now produces over 2 Billion coins per annum out of their two facilities.
Many think the Canadian Government runs the mint, but in reality it has a Board of Directors that sets strategy and leads the company. It is run as a corporation and has been listed in the top 100 employers in Canada.
Silver Bars from RCM
RCM produce a very limited selection of Silver Bars. In fact investors generally only find the 100 ounce bars available on retail websites. These bars are .9999 silver, which is a tad more pure than the more common .999 silver bar. Below you can see an image of the standard .9999 100 oz bar from RCM:
Coins for Circulation and Collection
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) manufactures all of Canada’s coins, as well as producing coins for many nations all over the world (Jamaica, Venezuela, Iran etc). RCM also produce circulation coins, souvenirs, and collector coins. They have produced a 34mm diameter collector coin at .99999 purity, which is the largest coin ever produced of this level of purity.
The Silver Maple Leaf
In 1979, RCM started producing the Gold Maple Leaf. In 1988 they began producing a similarly designed Silver Maple Leaf (SML), which is a 1 troy ounce silver coin of .9999 purity, sold in tubes of 25 coins and monster boxes of 500 coins (20 tubes). Other RCM coins have also featured animals and holograms since 2004, but these coins typically trade at a higher premium than the standard Maple Leafs.
Famous for Purity
RCM is famous for producing some of the finest silver investments in the World. They have produced .9999, 99.99% quality coins and silver bars. They are one of the only manufacturers that have produced silver of this quality. Their products are extremely popular with investors as they are of such distinct high quality.
Re-Sale Value
It is always important for investors to choose bars that are from brands that are recognizable. Being able to sell your silver is a crucial consideration in the investment process, as unknown generic bars can be hard to shift and lead to lower eventual sale prices. RCM silver suffers none of these problems, as the silver is distinctive and has a serial number, weight, purity and year of production stamped on it.
The Price of RCM Silver Bars
Prices of 100 ounce .9999 RCM silver bars on JM Bullion are at $3159.59 as of writing (Jan 2013). With a spot price of 30.320 per ounce this represents a premium of around $1.30 per ounce. This is an incredible value silver investment, especially when compared to premium above spot price for rounds and smaller silver quantities. All silver bars of 100 ounces are the same dimensions, which makes them easily stacked in home safes.
Those looking to invest in physical silver should certainly have Royal Canadian Mint on their radar. The brand is synonymous with quality and the liquidity of their products is extremely high. The reputation of RCM is silver is amongst the best.