1 oz Pacific Mermaid Silver Coin

The 1 oz Pacific Mermaid: Polynesian Mythology in Silver

The Pacific Mermaid is a silver bullion coin series produced by Scottsdale Mint in Arizona under licence from the government of Samoa. Launched in 2021, it is legal tender of Samoa with a 2 Tala face value, and it draws on Pacific Island maritime folklore, where mermaids and sea spirits appear across Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian traditions.

The 2021 debut design is unusually narrative for a bullion coin: a Polynesian man in a canoe looks down at a mermaid swimming below, who reaches up to touch his hand and face, with an ominous fish lurking beneath the surface. The 2022 follow-up, Princess of the Seas, shows a mermaid swimming through the sea surrounded by seashells, and was offered in both Brilliant Uncirculated and colorized versions.

Mintage is the key differentiator. The BU version is capped at 15,000 per year, with the 2021 antique-finish variant limited to 5,000 pieces. That is low enough to support collector interest but high enough for reasonable availability through major dealers. The series sits between numismatic collectible and bullion: the BU coin trades closest to bullion pricing, while antique and colorized versions carry collector premiums. Stackers who want the cheapest ounce of silver have lower-premium options among generic silver rounds; buyers drawn to low-mintage, design-led 1 oz silver coins are the natural audience here.

Pacific Mermaid Specifications and Mintage

The obverse carries the Samoan coat of arms with the five stars of the Southern Cross constellation. Mintage by year: 2021 saw 15,000 BU coins plus 5,000 in antique finish; 2022 repeated the 15,000 BU run and added a colorized edition of unconfirmed quantity.

The 2 Tala face value is symbolic. The Samoan Tala trades at roughly 0.37 USD, so the denomination is worth about 74 US cents, far below the coin's silver content. Samoa does not operate its own mint; production happens entirely at Scottsdale Mint's Arizona facility, a well-established private mint with strong dealer distribution and a recognised specialism in antique-finish coins.

Pacific Mermaid Tax Treatment by Country

The coin's .999 fineness meets the silver purity thresholds in the main exemption regimes, but its tax position varies sharply by country.

• US: No federal sales tax. Most states with precious metals exemptions cover .999-plus silver coins; around 35 states exempt bullion outright, with others applying thresholds or full tax. Long-term capital gains on bullion are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• UK: Silver coins carry 20% VAT. Samoa is not a UK legal tender issuer, so there is no CGT exemption; this is a meaningful disadvantage against a 1 oz silver Britannia, which is CGT-exempt for UK residents.
• EU: New silver coins attract full local VAT (19% in Germany, 21% in the Netherlands). Pre-owned coins may qualify for margin scheme taxation depending on the member state.
• Canada: Silver at 99.9% purity or higher in coin form is GST/HST exempt, which this coin satisfies.
• Australia and New Zealand: Investment-grade silver at 99.9% or higher purity is GST-free.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no import duty, no capital gains tax.

Pacific Mermaid vs Fiji Mermaid and Other Marine Series

Scottsdale Mint also produces mermaid-themed coins for Fiji, making the Fiji Mermaid the most direct comparison: different designs, same manufacturer, and similar market positioning. Choosing between them comes down to design preference rather than any structural difference.

Against the Perth Mint's marine-themed coins, such as the Great Barrier Reef issues, the trade-off is recognition versus scarcity. Perth Mint coins are Australian legal tender with higher international recognition and typically higher mintages, which makes them easier to resell. The Pacific Mermaid's 15,000 BU mintage is the scarcer proposition.

The wider competitive set is crowded. Niue licences a large number of marine and mythological coin designs to various mints, and Tokelau runs its own marine series; Samoa competes in this space as a Pacific micro-state that licences coin designs as a revenue source, much like Niue and Tuvalu. Within that field, Scottsdale Mint's production quality is generally well-regarded, particularly its antique finishes.

For buyers deciding within the series, the BU coin is the bullion play: higher mintage, lower premium. The 5,000-piece antique version is the collector play, with the lower mintage and the weathered, recovered-treasure look that Scottsdale is known for. Compared with mainstream sovereign coins like the 1 oz silver Maple Leaf, the Pacific Mermaid trades liquidity for design and scarcity.