1979 is the Gold Maple Leaf's launch year, seven years before the American Gold Eagle and one of the earliest entries in the entire modern bullion category. It's also, distinctly, a .999 fine coin rather than the .9999 purity the series became known for after 1982 — meaning a 1979 coin isn't just a first-year piece, it's from a genuinely different purity era than every Maple Leaf minted since.
Confirm the fineness stamped on the coin (or stated in the listing) when buying a 1979–1982 Maple Leaf — the visual design is essentially the same across the purity change, so it's not something you can tell at a glance without checking. This era's coins are collected specifically for being pre-.9999, not just for being early dates.
Log the year, your cost basis, and photos — and see it valued at today's spot price alongside the rest of your collection.
Start tracking freeNo — 1979–1982 coins were struck at .999 fine, not the .9999 purity introduced in 1982 and used ever since. Both eras are collectible, but they're genuinely different specifications.
It's scarcer than modern common dates simply due to age and lower original mintage in the series' early years, but it's not considered a dramatic key date the way the 1996 Silver Eagle is.