1 oz Mandrill Silver Coin

The 1oz Cameroon Mandrill Silver Coin

The Mandrill is a legal tender coin of the Republic of Cameroon, struck by Scottsdale Mint in Phoenix, Arizona, and issued annually from 2020 through at least 2022. It is the second Cameroon wildlife series from this mint, following the Cameroon Cheetah, and sits alongside Scottsdale's other African primate line, the Congo Silverback Gorilla, as a companion series. Each coin contains one troy ounce of .999 fine silver and carries a 500 Francs CFA face value.

The case for picking the Mandrill over mass-market 1oz silver coins is scarcity and design. Mintage ran 15,000 in 2020 and dropped to 10,000 for 2021 and 2022, which places the series between mass-market bullion struck in the millions and ultra-limited collector pieces. The Brilliant Uncirculated version has a proof-like appearance and is positioned as affordable bullion rather than a premium collector product. The design itself is the talking point: a stylised, aggressive depiction of the mandrill that has been described as having an almost Japanese manga look, distinctive in a market dominated by naturalistic wildlife engraving.

The subject suits a coin. The mandrill is the world's largest monkey species, native to the rainforests of central-west Africa including Cameroon, and male mandrills have the most colourful faces of any mammal, with blue and red markings that intensify when the animal is excited or dominant. Cameroon is one of only two countries with substantial wild mandrill populations, the other being Equatorial Guinea, so the legal tender country and the coin's subject are genuinely connected rather than arbitrary.

Mandrill Silver Coin Specifications

The standard bullion version is the 1oz silver Brilliant Uncirculated coin. A colorized proof variant and a 1oz gold proof also exist in much smaller numbers.

Silver BU mintage by year:

The obverse on all years shows the Cameroon national coat of arms: a pointed shield with the scales of justice, crossed fasces, the national map outline, and a single star, surrounded by the country name and denomination. The reverse changes annually while keeping the mandrill subject. The 2020 coin shows a frontal view of a male mandrill's face against a rainforest landscape; the 2022 coin shows an aggressive mandrill with jaw open, teeth and tongue bared, against a stylised jungle background.

The colorized proof (1,500 minted in 2020) adds colour to the mandrill's facial markings, and the gold proof is struck in .9999 fine gold at 32 mm with a mintage of just 100 per year, supplied in a presentation box with a Certificate of Authenticity. The 500 Franc face value is nominal: 500 XAF is worth roughly $0.80 USD, far below the silver content.

Mandrill Silver Coin Tax Treatment by Country

The Mandrill is a .999 fine silver legal tender coin of Cameroon, and its Central African CFA Franc denomination provides no tax benefit in the UK or EU. Silver does not qualify for the investment gold exemptions that apply to gold coins.

• UK: New silver coins attract 20% VAT, and because the Mandrill is not UK legal tender it is also not CGT-exempt. UK legal tender coins like the 1oz Silver Britannia escape CGT; the Mandrill does not. Pre-owned coins sold under a dealer's margin scheme carry VAT on the dealer's margin only.
• US: The primary market for this coin, with availability from Scottsdale Mint direct and major online dealers. There is no federal sales tax; state treatment varies, and roughly 35 states exempt bullion while around 10 tax it, with a handful applying threshold-based partial exemptions. Capital gains on bullion held over a year are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• EU: Full national VAT rates apply to new silver, ranging from 17% to 27% by country. Germany and the Netherlands offer margin scheme treatment on qualifying pre-owned silver coins.
• Canada: Silver refined to 99.9% purity or better in coin form is GST/HST exempt, which the .999 Mandrill meets.
• Australia and New Zealand: Investment-grade silver at 99.9% purity or better is GST-free in both countries, covering this coin.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no import duty, and no capital gains tax.

The Mandrill Series Since 2020

Scottsdale Mint launched the Mandrill in 2020 as its second wildlife series struck under the authority of the Republic of Cameroon, following the Cameroon Cheetah. The arrangement is a common one: private mints partner with smaller nations that lack their own minting facilities to produce legal tender coinage, and Scottsdale's relationship with Cameroon also extends to other releases. The first year saw 15,000 silver BU coins, plus a colorized proof limited to 1,500 pieces and a gold proof capped at 100.

From 2021 the silver BU mintage was cut to 10,000, a level maintained for 2022, making the series progressively scarcer than its debut year. The reverse design evolved annually while keeping the mandrill subject. The 2020 issue presented a frontal portrait of a male mandrill gazing directly at the viewer, set against a Cameroon rainforest backdrop, a composition built around the species' famous blue and red facial coloration. The 2021 coin updated the pose, and the 2022 issue went further with an open-jawed, teeth-bared mandrill against a stylised jungle background, a design noted for its primal, aggressive energy and manga-influenced style.

Whether the series continued past 2022 is unclear from available records, and it may have concluded. That uncertainty, combined with the modest mintages, gives the dated issues a defined collectible footprint that most perpetual bullion series lack. The animal itself is an unusually photogenic subject: despite the fearsome canines and aggressive displays, mandrills are intensely social and their diet is roughly 95% plant matter.

Mandrill vs Silverback Gorilla, Somali Elephant, and Silver Krugerrand

The Mandrill competes in the African wildlife silver coin space, and the closest comparison is Scottsdale Mint's own Congo Silverback Gorilla. The two are thematically paired, both African primates from the same manufacturer, and effectively act as companion series. Collectors building an African wildlife set often hold both. The Mandrill's distinguishing feature within that pairing is its stylised, manga-influenced engraving against the more conventional treatment common in the category.

Against the Somali Elephant, struck by the Bavarian State Mint, the Mandrill is the scarcer coin. Its 10,000 to 15,000 annual mintage sits well below mass-market African wildlife issues, positioning it between bulk bullion and ultra-limited collector pieces. Buyers prioritising scarcity over per-ounce cost will favour that profile; buyers who want the cheapest route to silver weight will not.

The 1oz silver Krugerrand frames the trade-off most clearly. The Krugerrand is minted in the millions, which means tighter availability of stock, broader dealer recognition, and easier resale. The Mandrill cannot match that liquidity, and as a non-UK-legal-tender coin it carries the same 20% UK VAT without offering the CGT exemption that domestic UK coins provide. What it offers instead is a capped mintage, a design with genuine character, and legal tender status backed by the Republic of Cameroon. All three rivals are struck at one troy ounce, and the Krugerrand shares the Mandrill's .999 fine silver standard, so metal content is closely matched; the decision rests on whether scarcity and design or liquidity and recognition matter more to the buyer.