100 oz Northwest Territorial Mint Silver Bar

A Discontinued Bar from a Closed Mint

The Northwest Territorial Mint (NWT Mint) operated from 1984 to 2016 in Auburn, Washington, producing bullion bars, rounds, and custom medals across its three decades in business. The 100 oz silver bar from NWT carries .999 fine purity and the mint's distinctive branding, but it exists today exclusively as a secondary-market product. No new bars will be produced, and the brand carries no ongoing support or authentication services.

NWT Mint's closure was not a quiet retirement. The company shut down at the end of 2016 amid lawsuits and customer complaints about undelivered orders. This history has no bearing on the physical silver content of the bars (silver is silver at .999 purity), but it means the brand carries no residual goodwill that would support a premium over generic secondary-market bars. Buyers encountering an NWT 100 oz bar on the secondary market should evaluate it purely on weight, purity, and condition.

The practical appeal of this bar on the secondary market is price. Discontinued-mint bars often trade at or below current generic bar premiums, making them a cost-effective way to acquire 100 oz of .999 silver. The trade-off is reduced brand recognition compared to current-production bars from active mints like Asahi Refining or Sunshine Minting.

Northwest Territorial Mint 100 oz Silver Bar Specifications

As a discontinued product, specifications reflect the bars as produced during NWT Mint's 32-year operating period. The mint produced bars under its own name as well as contract work for other brands. Bars from different production eras may show variations in logo design, stamp placement, and surface finish as the mint's equipment and processes evolved over three decades.

Condition varies substantially on the secondary market depending on storage history. Bars stored in protective sleeves will show original surfaces; bars stored loose may have toning, minor scratches, or handling marks. None of these cosmetic issues affect the silver content or purity. All secondary-market bars should be verified by weight and, where practical, specific gravity or sigma testing before purchase, as with any secondary-market bullion from a non-LBMA source without tamper-evident packaging.

Tax Position for 100 oz NWT Mint Silver Bars

Tax treatment is determined by the metal, purity, and form of the bar, not by the manufacturer's operating status. A discontinued-mint bar receives identical tax treatment to a newly produced bar of the same specifications.

United States

The .999 purity qualifies this bar for sales tax exemption in the approximately 35 states that exempt investment bullion. It also qualifies for Precious Metals IRA inclusion under IRS Section 408(m), requiring silver at 99.9%+ purity. The manufacturer's closure does not affect IRA eligibility, though individual custodians may have their own brand acceptance lists. Capital gains on silver are taxed at the 28% collectibles rate for holdings over one year.

United Kingdom

Silver bars attract 20% VAT on purchase regardless of manufacturer or production status. No CGT exemption applies to bars. Secondary-market bars sold under the VAT margin scheme may have reduced effective VAT if purchased through a dealer operating the scheme.

Canada

GST/HST exempt as silver bullion at 99.9%+ purity in bar form. The federal exemption applies regardless of manufacturer.

Australia and New Zealand

GST-free in Australia for investment-grade silver at 99.9%+ purity. GST-exempt in New Zealand at the same purity threshold.

Singapore and Hong Kong

Singapore exempts silver at 99.9%+ purity from GST as Investment Precious Metals. Hong Kong imposes no sales tax.

NWT Mint 100 oz vs Current-Production Alternatives

Buying a discontinued-mint bar is fundamentally a price decision. The silver content is identical to any other .999 bar at 100 oz. The question is whether the lower premium justifies the reduced brand recognition on resale.

vs Generic 100 oz Silver Bars

NWT bars effectively trade as generics on the secondary market. Most dealers will offer the same buyback price for an NWT bar as for any unbranded 100 oz bar, based on weight and purity alone. If the purchase price matches generic levels, there is no disadvantage. If a seller is asking a brand premium for the NWT name, that premium is unlikely to be recoverable on resale.

vs Johnson Matthey 100 oz Silver Bar

The Johnson Matthey 100 oz bar is also discontinued (sold to Asahi in 2015), but JM bars command a persistent secondary-market premium due to decades of institutional recognition and LBMA accreditation during production. NWT lacks equivalent credentials, which is why JM bars trade above generic while NWT bars trade at generic.

vs Current-Production Branded Bars

Active mints like Scottsdale Mint and Asahi Refining offer bars with current branding, authentication features, and active dealer support. These command higher premiums but sell more easily. The cost difference is typically small enough that most buyers accumulating new positions will prefer a current-production bar for resale confidence.