1.5 oz Birds of Prey Silver Coin

The 1.5 oz Birds of Prey Silver Coin

The Birds of Prey programme is a Royal Canadian Mint silver bullion series featuring North American raptors depicted in dynamic flight, typically in the act of hunting, with outstretched wings and talons extended. All of the designs come from Emily Damstra, one of the most prolific wildlife coin designers working today, whose renderings for this series are considered among the finest wildlife engravings on modern bullion. The core series ran from 2014 to 2015 across four subjects: the Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawk, and Great Horned Owl. The Peregrine Falcon opened the series deliberately; it is Canada's most iconic raptor and the fastest animal on Earth, capable of dive speeds exceeding 240 mph.

This listing covers the 1.5 oz version, containing 46.66 grams of fine silver. The 1.5 troy ounce weight is itself a Royal Canadian Mint speciality: no other major mint produces bullion at this size, which delivers 50% more metal than a standard 1 oz coin without stepping up to the much more expensive 2 oz or 5 oz formats. The series is no longer in production, so supply comes from secondary market stock and remaining dealer inventory rather than the mint. Buyers drawn to Canadian wildlife designs at a non-standard weight get a distinctive piece here; those who want maximum recognisability at this mint should look at the 1 oz Silver Maple Leaf instead.

Tax Treatment of RCM Birds of Prey Silver

As Royal Canadian Mint legal tender silver, the Birds of Prey coins follow the standard tax treatment for investment-grade silver coins in each market.

• Canada: GST/HST exempt, since the federal exemption covers gold, silver, and platinum refined to 99.5% or higher purity in coin, bar, ingot, or wafer form. Capital gains are taxable at the 50% inclusion rate, though the Listed Personal Property rule means no gain is reportable when a coin is both bought and sold for under $1,000 CAD.
• United States: Most states exempt bullion from sales tax, with some applying thresholds (New York exempts purchases over $1,000, Florida over $500). Long-term capital gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• United Kingdom: Subject to 20% VAT as new silver bullion, and not CGT-exempt because it is not UK legal tender. UK buyers wanting CGT exemption on silver need the Silver Britannia instead.
• Australia and New Zealand: GST-free as investment-grade silver (Australia requires 99.9%+ purity for silver; New Zealand likewise exempts fine silver at 99.9%+).
• Singapore and Hong Kong: Singapore exempts qualifying Investment Precious Metals from GST; Hong Kong levies no sales tax or duty on bullion at all. Neither taxes capital gains.

Birds of Prey vs Maple Leaf, Wildlife Series, and Perth Wildlife Coins

The natural benchmark is the standard Silver Maple Leaf. The Maple Leaf keeps the same design every year and is struck in much higher annual volumes, which makes it the more liquid coin; Birds of Prey issues trade at a small premium over it on account of their fixed-mintage, collectible nature. At the 1.5 oz weight specifically, the closest relative is the RCM's own 1.5 oz SuperLeaf, the coin that established this unusual format. Non-standard weights carry a liquidity cost: some dealers need to look the product up before quoting buyback, and European and Asian dealers are less familiar with the size than with standard 1 oz silver coins.

Against the RCM's earlier Canadian Wildlife Series (2011-2013), which covered six Canadian mammals from the Wolf to the Pronghorn Antelope, Birds of Prey is the direct successor and followed the template that series established. Collectors choosing between them are mostly choosing subject matter.

Perth Mint's wildlife coins (Kookaburra, Koala, Lunar) offer an ongoing alternative: annual design changes with variable mintages, where Birds of Prey was a defined, completed set. One practical caution from the series' era applies here: RCM silver bullion of the 2014-2015 vintage is notorious for milk spots, white surface marks that are cosmetic only and do not affect silver content, but can matter for resale above melt.