Growling Cougar Gold

Five-Nines Gold from the Royal Canadian Mint's Call of the Wild

The Growling Cougar is a 2015 release from the Royal Canadian Mint, the second coin in the "Call of the Wild" series that ran from 2014 to 2017. The series is distinguished by its use of .99999 (five nines) gold purity, making these among the purest gold coins commercially produced. The Growling Cougar features a cougar depicted mid-growl in its natural Rocky Mountain habitat, designed by Pierre Leduc with Susanna Blunt's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

The Call of the Wild series comprised four annual releases: the Howling Wolf (2014), Growling Cougar (2015), Roaring Grizzly (2016), and Elk (2017). Each features a Canadian predator in a dramatic vocal pose. The series straddles the line between bullion and collectible: the 1 oz gold coin has a mintage of just 250 pieces, far smaller than the Gold Maple Leaf's production runs in the hundreds of thousands. There were also larger format coins, including a 1/2 kilogram gold proof (mintage: 25) and a 1/2 kilogram silver proof (mintage: 1,000) in .9999 fine silver.

The cougar (Puma concolor) holds the distinction of having more common names than any other mammal in the Americas: cougar, mountain lion, puma, panther, catamount, and painter are all used in different regions. It is the largest wild cat in Canada and the second-largest in the Americas after the jaguar. Pierre Leduc's design captures the animal's distinctive facial features, the wide-set eyes, broad nose, and exposed teeth, set against coniferous forest typical of the Canadian Rockies.

Growling Cougar Specifications

The 1 oz gold coin ships in an assay card directly from the Royal Canadian Mint, providing authentication of weight, purity, and origin. The proof versions come with serialised certificates of authenticity and RCM-branded wooden presentation boxes. The original retail price for the 1/2 kg silver proof was $1,099.95 CAD, which was GST/HST-exempt.

The five-nines purity (.99999) means the gold is 99.999% pure, with impurities measured in parts per million rather than parts per thousand. This purity level is extremely difficult to counterfeit, serving as an inherent security feature. At the same time, five-nines gold is marginally softer than .9999 gold due to the near-total absence of hardening alloy elements, though the practical difference in handling and wear resistance is negligible for coins stored in assay cards or capsules.

A separate product should not be confused with this series: the 2017 1 oz Silver Maple Leaf with "Growling Cougar" privy mark is a standard .9999 silver Maple Leaf with a small cougar stamp added as a reverse proof element. That coin had a mintage of 50,000 pieces and trades at standard Maple Leaf premiums, making it a fundamentally different proposition from the 250-mintage Call of the Wild gold coin.

Growling Cougar Tax Treatment by Country

As Canadian legal tender from the Royal Canadian Mint, the Growling Cougar benefits from sovereign-coin treatment in most jurisdictions. The .99999 gold purity comfortably exceeds every investment gold threshold worldwide.

• Canada: GST/HST-exempt. Investment-grade gold at 99.5%+ purity in coin form is exempt from Canadian federal sales taxes. The silver proof version was also listed as GST/HST-exempt on the Royal Canadian Mint's website.
• United States: IRA-eligible. The coin's sovereign mint origin and ultra-high purity satisfy IRS Section 408(m) requirements for precious metals IRA inclusion. The five-nines purity and low mintage make it a popular choice for self-directed precious metals IRA accounts. No federal sales tax; state exemptions vary. Capital gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28% for holdings over one year.
• United Kingdom: Gold versions are VAT-exempt as investment gold. The silver proof version would be subject to 20% VAT on import. As Canadian rather than UK legal tender, neither version is CGT-exempt. UK buyers seeking CGT-exempt gold should consider the Britannia or Sovereign.
• European Union: Gold versions are VAT-exempt as investment gold under Council Directive 98/80/EC.
• Australia: GST-free for gold (99.5%+). The silver proof would be subject to GST.
• Singapore: GST-exempt under the IPM scheme for gold at 99.5%+ purity.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no capital gains tax.

Call of the Wild: The RCM's Ultra-Purity Gold Series

The Call of the Wild series debuted in 2014 with the Howling Wolf and continued through 2017. Each annual release features a different Canadian predator captured in a dramatic vocal pose, a unifying theme that connects the four coins: Howling Wolf (2014), Growling Cougar (2015), Roaring Grizzly (2016), and Elk (2017). The series was the Royal Canadian Mint's showcase for .99999 gold purity, a level matched by very few products from any mint worldwide.

The five-nines purity represents the outer boundary of what is commercially practical in coin production. The Perth Mint and the Royal Mint do not produce coins at this level. Only the RCM's own Gold Maple Leaf (in special editions) and the Call of the Wild series have consistently offered .99999 gold. The practical difference from .9999 (four nines) is negligible for weight-based value, amounting to roughly 0.001 grams per troy ounce. The significance is partly technical, demonstrating the RCM's refining capabilities, and partly commercial, as the ultra-purity commands a premium in the collector market.

With only 25 pieces produced, the 1/2 kg gold proof Growling Cougar is among the rarest modern coins from any sovereign mint. The 1 oz bullion version at 250 pieces is also far below typical bullion mintage, placing it firmly in the crossover territory between investment bullion and collectible numismatics. The original retail prices reflected this positioning: significantly above the gold content value, with a substantial design and scarcity premium.

The reverse design by Pierre Leduc captures the cougar in profile with jaw open mid-growl, a moment of tension that gives the coin its name. The surrounding Rocky Mountain landscape is rendered in the fine detail that the RCM's engraving technology enables. The obverse carries Susanna Blunt's uncrowned right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the standard Canadian coin obverse from 2003 until the adoption of King Charles III's portrait.

Growling Cougar vs Maple Leaf, Britannia, and Other Collector Gold

The most straightforward comparison is with the RCM's own Gold Maple Leaf, the flagship Canadian bullion coin. The Maple Leaf is produced in the hundreds of thousands annually at .9999 purity (four nines), with advanced security features (micro-laser-engraved radial lines, Bullion DNA verification) and global liquidity. The Growling Cougar adds one extra nine of purity and trades massive production volumes for a mintage of 250. The Maple Leaf is the coin to stack; the Growling Cougar is the coin to collect.

Against the Britannia, Krugerrand, and American Eagle, the Growling Cougar has no advantage as a bullion product. All three offer vastly better liquidity, wider dealer networks, and tighter buy-sell spreads. The comparison only becomes meaningful in the collector-bullion space, where the Growling Cougar's ultra-purity, low mintage, and dramatic design appeal to buyers who want gold with a numismatic dimension.

Within the Call of the Wild series itself, the Howling Wolf (first year, 2014) and Roaring Grizzly (2016) are the other two gold coins that attract the most secondary-market interest. The Elk (2017) rounds out the series. Completing the full four-coin set is a goal for some collectors, though the combined cost at secondary-market premiums is substantial. For buyers drawn to the five-nines purity concept but seeking better availability, the RCM periodically releases other .99999 gold products outside the Call of the Wild series.