Expert: Brad Swain - 3/7/2010

Question
I have a gold Canadian coin - the front shows a picture of Queen Elizabeth II. Across the top reads "Elizabeth II" - the bottom reads "5 Dollars 1982". The back shows a Maple Leaf. The top reads "Canada", the bottom reads "FINE GOLD 1/10TH OZ OR PUR". Next to the Maple Leaf on both sides it says "9999". The coin is a bit smaller than a US dime and is in a sealed plastic wrapper. Is this worth anything?

Answer
Hi Sharon, this is the first year of the gold Maple Leaf series that Canada issued. There were 246,000 minted that year and it contains 1/10 of an ounce of gold. Its collector value may be worth about 14% over its gold value.
Current gold and silver values: http://www.kitco.com/market/ .
You might try Ebay.com for similar pieces for comparison.
You might also try a library for copies of the Standard Catalog of World Coins, Coins of Canada, or Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Brad