1 Kilo Noah's Ark Silver Coin

The 1 Kilo Noah's Ark Silver Coin

The 1 kilo Noah's Ark packs 32.15 troy ounces of .999 fine silver into a single coin of 100 mm diameter, the second largest regular denomination in Armenia's bullion programme after the 5 kg issue. The series is issued by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia and struck in Germany by Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitung (LEV), part of the Geiger Edelmetalle group since 2018, using LBMA-certified materials at one of Germany's most modern private minting facilities. A sovereign coin produced under contract by a foreign private mint is an unusual arrangement, and it underpins the series' pitch: German manufacturing quality with central bank backing at a non-premium price.

Kilo silver is normally bar territory. Silver kilo bars from major refiners carry premiums of roughly 3-6%, among the lowest available in retail bullion, and the kilo coins that do exist, such as Perth Mint's Lunar and Kookaburra issues, usually carry collector premiums above bar prices. The Noah's Ark is the exception that makes the format interesting: as one of the lowest-premium sovereign-backed silver coins in European markets, it brings legal tender status and a recognised design to a weight class where buyers normally have to settle for bars. The kilo buyer is optimising for the lowest cost per gram, accepting that a single large piece cannot be partially liquidated the way a stack of 1 oz Noah's Ark coins can.

The design has been constant since the series launched in 2011: Eduard Kurghinyan's reverse shows the Ark on the floodwaters, a dove with an olive branch, and Mount Ararat under a rising sun, with the Armenian coat of arms on the obverse.

1 Kilo Noah's Ark Specifications

The obverse shows the Armenian coat of arms, a shield held by a lion and an eagle representing the ancient Bagratid and Rubenid kingdoms, with face value, fineness, weight, the LEV mint mark, and year of issue inscribed in Armenian and English. The kilo joined the programme in 2012 alongside the other large formats (5 oz, 10 oz, and 5 kg), a year after the 2011 launch denominations.

At 100 mm across, the coin is more than two and a half times the diameter of the 38.6 mm 1 oz issue, and silver's relatively low density makes it a substantial object in hand. Production quality is guaranteed and checked by the Central Bank of Armenia, and each coin's legal tender status carries the legal anti-counterfeiting protection that bars lack.

Kilo Noah's Ark Tax Treatment by Country

• UK: New silver attracts 20% VAT. Pre-owned Noah's Arks are frequently sold under the margin scheme, with VAT charged only on the dealer's margin, which makes the series among the more tax-efficient silver coins in the UK; on a kilo-sized purchase the difference between full VAT and margin scheme pricing is substantial in cash terms. The coin is not UK legal tender, so no CGT exemption applies.
• Germany and the EU: Silver coins are subject to national VAT, with margin scheme treatment (Differenzbesteuerung in Germany) broadly available. The German manufacturing origin gives the series very strong dealer networks across the EU.
• US: No federal sales tax; state rules vary, and a kilo silver coin clears the purchase thresholds in states such as Florida ($500) and New York ($1,000) that smaller purchases can miss. The .999 fineness meets the IRS silver purity requirement. Gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• Canada: A legal tender silver coin at 99.9%+ purity is GST/HST exempt.
• Australia and New Zealand: GST-free as investment-grade silver at 99.9% purity or better.
• Armenia: Exempt from VAT as domestic legal tender.

Armenia's Bullion Programme and Its Large Formats

The Noah's Ark launched in 2011 as Armenia's first and only investment-grade bullion coin, initially in 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz silver. The large formats, 5 oz, 10 oz, 1 kg, and 5 kg, followed in 2012, and gold joined the programme later: limited proofs in 2017, bullion gold from September 2020. Cumulative silver production passed 5 million coins, with distribution across more than 20 countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

The 5 kg sibling of this coin, at 149.62 mm diameter, is one of the largest regularly produced bullion coins by weight anywhere, matched by only a few other programmes. The kilo sits one step below it as the largest denomination most retail buyers will actually encounter in dealer stock.

The subject matter ties the coin to Armenian national identity. Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 AD, the first nation to do so officially, and the Ark narrative centres on Mount Ararat, which appears on the national coat of arms and on every coin in this series despite lying in modern Turkey, an enduring cultural and territorial statement. Production has always been German: Armenia has no modern bullion minting facility, so the Central Bank contracts LEV in Leipzig, whose mint mark appears on the obverse. Geiger Edelmetalle, LEV's parent group since 2018, handles European distribution.

Kilo Noah's Ark vs Kilo Bars and Kilo Coins

The direct alternative at this weight is a silver kilo bar from an LBMA-accredited refiner: PAMP Suisse, Valcambi, Heraeus, Umicore, the Royal Canadian Mint, or Geiger itself. Bars carry 3-6% premiums, the lowest in retail silver alongside 100 oz bars, and accredited-refiner bars enjoy excellent dealer liquidity. The Noah's Ark coin gives up a little of that cost efficiency in exchange for legal tender status, a sovereign design, and coin-specific tax advantages in some markets, notably Canada's exemption for legal tender coins and the margin scheme availability that has made the series a UK and German dealer staple.

Among kilo coins, the competition is thin. Perth Mint's Lunar, Koala, and Kookaburra kilo coins and the Royal Mint's large formats exist, but they carry collector premiums above bar prices. The Noah's Ark's position as one of the lowest-premium sovereign-backed silver coins in Europe makes it the cheapest route to a kilo of silver in coin form.

The other comparison is down the weight scale within the same series. A 10 oz Noah's Ark or a stack of 1 oz coins offers far more flexibility for partial sales, and the 1 oz coins ship in Geiger's HQC tubes with protective gas against tarnish. The kilo is for buyers who have already decided to maximise silver weight per purchase and want one impressive, vault-friendly object rather than thirty-two small ones.