5 oz Egyptian Cat Silver Bar

The 5 oz Argentia Egyptian Cat Silver Bar

The 5 oz Egyptian Cat is an ultra-high-relief silver bar from Argentia Precious Metals' Sculptural Arts Collection, struck from .9999 fine silver sourced from LBMA-recognised refineries. Argentia, a trade name registered to Canadian PMX Corp., specialises in combining investment-grade silver with sculptural medallic art, and this bar is the opposite of a generic stacker product: the seated cat design is rendered in relief deep enough to read as stone-carved sculpture, and the company's free-flowing metal production process gives every bar a unique outline and live edge, so no two are dimensionally identical.

The design draws on the ancient Egyptian reverence for cats, particularly the goddess Bastet, who was depicted as a lioness and later as a domestic cat. The bar comes in two finishes: Ultra High Relief, with a bright polished surface, and Antiqued, where a darkened patina in the recessed areas emphasises the sculptural depth and lends the piece the look of an archaeological artifact. All of this costs money. The premium over spot runs higher than on generic 5oz silver bars because of the artistic production and four-nines purity, so this is a purchase for buyers who want silver as displayable art with bullion value underneath, not the cheapest route to five ounces of metal.

Egyptian Cat Bar Specifications

The obverse carries the Argentia brand emblem, a stylised triangle with the word "ARGENTIA", and hallmarks reading "5 OZ FINE SILVER .9999" against a decorative background. The reverse shows the Egyptian cat seated and facing left, its body covered in decorative flourishes and framed by a swirling petal arrangement. Because the free-flowing metal process produces a different profile on every bar, physical dimensions are not precisely standardised, though the packaged bar measures roughly 3.5 x 3.2 x 0.4 inches. The .9999 purity is genuinely unusual for art bars, as most private-mint silver uses .999; the extra nine demands more careful handling in production. Security rests on the holographic packaging seal, the stamped hallmarks, and the fact that each bar's unique live edge makes exact replication difficult; there is no micro-engraving or electronic verification.

Egyptian Cat Bar Tax Treatment by Country

The Egyptian Cat is a bar, not a coin: despite the artistic design it has no face value and no legal tender status, which shapes its tax position in coin-favouring jurisdictions.

• Canada: Argentia's home market, and the friendliest one. Silver refined to 99.9%+ purity is exempt from GST/HST, and this bar's .9999 comfortably qualifies. Bars are available through Canadian PMX directly.
• US: widely stocked by major dealers. No federal sales tax, and most states exempt bullion, with a minority taxing it or applying purchase thresholds. Long-term capital gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• UK: 20% VAT as a new silver bar, and CGT applies on disposal since bars have no legal tender status. The bar is rarely stocked by UK dealers in any case.
• Australia and New Zealand: GST-free as investment-grade silver, which both countries set at 99.9%+ purity; .9999 qualifies.
• EU: full local VAT on new silver bars (17-27% depending on country).
• Singapore and Hong Kong: no GST or sales tax on qualifying bullion and no capital gains tax in either jurisdiction.

One practical note for resale: with no Certificate of Authenticity included, the sealed holographic packaging is the bar's provenance, so keep it intact.

Egyptian Cat vs PAMP, Scottsdale, and Other Argentia Art Bars

The closest mainstream comparison is PAMP Suisse, which produces similarly artistic silver bars such as the Lady Fortuna, but in .999 purity with a more industrial finish. Argentia's counterargument is craft: .9999 purity, hand-finished live edges, and relief depth that flat-struck bars cannot match. Scottsdale Mint's "Prey" bars attack the same animal-art niche from a different angle, with chunky poured bars in .999 silver and a rugged aesthetic rather than the Egyptian Cat's sculptural refinement. Within Argentia's own Sculptural Arts Collection, the Egyptian Cat sits alongside King Tut, Goddess Mara, Alexander the Great, and other designs, all sharing the same .9999 purity and ultra-high-relief production, so collectors can build a stylistically consistent set.

Against ordinary bullion, the comparison is simpler. A generic 5 oz silver bar trades within a few percent of spot, while the Egyptian Cat carries a meaningfully higher premium for its artistry; one US dealer's listed historical low of $474.15 illustrates how far above melt these bars price. Resale follows the same logic in reverse: a generic bar sells on its metal alone, while an art bar's premium recovery depends on finding a buyer who values the design. Stackers maximising ounces should buy plain silver bars and skip the artwork; buyers who would otherwise spend on sculpture or collectibles get bullion-grade silver and the art in one object.