5-1 World's Largest Gold Coin

To create a world's first, you need innovative technology.

And fiery old world metallurgy.

To reveal the individual character of each piece, you need the fine touch of many expert craftsmen and hands-on engineering and manufacturing.

It's breathtaking, powerful, unique and it's from the Royal Canadian Mint. What is it that combines precision engineering with days of meticulous hand finishing to make it perfect? The world's purest and biggest gold bullion coin. With a face value of one million dollars and a purity of 99.999% pure gold. 100 kilos of pure Canadian pride.

The Royal Canadian Mint is the first to manufacture a gold bullion coin of this size and this purity.

This was not an easy feat. Each step along the way was a challenge. Each step required great care, thorough testing and strict process control. It all started with original artwork, checked carefully for detail and accuracy. Usually, the Royal Canadian Mint engravers have to focus on keeping intricate details intact when translating original drawings to traditional coins. With the million dollar five nines bullion coin, that wasn't a problem.

But the larger size meant that the design had to be flawless because every detail stood out. The Royal Canadian Mint engravers transferred the artwork from a hand drawing on paper, to 3D digital modelling, to a master plaster design. This master was then used to create the special cast mould that shaped the coin. With the mold prepared, they were ready to cast the molten gold.

Assay technologists certified the Five Nines Gold Purity before and after each cast. Creating the perfect mold for this exceptional bullion coin required Royal Canadian Mint engineering expertise. It was designed so that the molten gold flowed evenly throughout the pour to avoid imperfections. It had to be strong enough to accommodate 100 kilos of gold at over 1200 degrees Celsius, yet fragile enough to release the bullion coin when it was cool.

The mold sat in a bin surrounded by a special kind of heated sand to provide the best possible casting conditions. When the gold cooled, the Royal Canadian Mint Specialists removed all the mold material, leaving the bullion coin, in need of some cleaning, with the gating systems through which the gold was poured still attached.

After a surface cleaning, the bullion coin went to the machine shop to remove the excess weight and to machine the circumference to a perfectly shaped circle.

The bullion coin was given a thorough quality inspection, weighed, measured and checked. Even the contours of the maple leaf design were expertly inspected. Once the bullion coin passed this stringent testing, both coin surfaces were primed by hand prior to the polishing stage. To achieve the most desirable finish, the coin went through several stages of hand polishing.

Finally, the frosted finish was applied.

The result is spectacular.

The reality today is that Royal Canadian Mint operates in a highly competitive environment and this is especially true of the gold bullion market. What we're here today celebrating is an achievement that separates us from a large field of competitors. It declares a new standard, a new standard of bullion in the world and reinforces the Mint's reputation for quality and technical capacity.

At the Mint we are always working to hone our competitive skills because we want to produce the best products in the world and we want to do that because it nourishes Canada's gold and bullion industries and through them the many companies and individuals who depend on them for their continued prosperity. Those wanting to own gold bullion of Five Nines Purity don't have to buy 100 kilos at a time because the Royal Canadian Mint is now offering the most sought after investment in the world, the one ounce gold maple leaf in its purest form ever.

When people ask me why we made a 100 kilo gold coin with a $1 million face value, I like to tell them, because the team wanted the challenge. Because we wanted to raise the bar of excellence in precious metal assaying, refining and gold bullion. We have a solid reputation in raising the bar. We did it when we introduced 99.99% pure gold bullion

in 1982, and 25 years later, we're doing it again

with 99.999% pure gold bullion.

Once again, buyers of Royal Canadian Mint gold bullion can invest in the best.

Because the Royal Canadian Mint sees a challenge and meets the challenge.

Because the Royal Canadian Mint sees the standard and surpasses the standard.

The Royal Canadian Mint raises the bar on excellence and is the artistic mastermind behind the world's most magnificent gold bullion coins.

We'll be right back.