5 oz Noah's Ark Silver Coin

The 5 oz Noah's Ark Silver Coin

The Noah's Ark is Armenia's first and only investment-grade bullion coin, issued by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia since 2011. The 5 oz silver version joined the range in 2012 alongside the 10 oz, 1 kg and 5 kg sizes, extending a series that launched with 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz and 1 oz coins. Although it carries Armenian legal tender status with a face value of 1,000 Drams, the coin is struck in Germany by Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitung GmbH (LEV), part of the Geiger Edelmetalle group since 2018, at one of Germany's most modern private minting facilities using LBMA-certified materials.

That combination is the coin's core appeal: sovereign central-bank backing paired with German manufacturing quality at a non-premium price point. The series is one of the lowest-premium sovereign-backed silver coins available in European markets, and over 5 million Noah's Ark silver coins have been produced and distributed worldwide across more than 20 countries, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

The 5 oz format itself sits between the 1 oz Noah's Ark and the 10 oz Noah's Ark in the range. Across the silver market generally, 5 oz pieces carry lower per-ounce premiums than 1 oz coins but slightly higher than 10 oz products, occupying a middle ground for buyers who want a step up from 1 oz without the outlay of a 10 oz piece. Its main drawback is liquidity outside Europe: the Noah's Ark trades well in German and UK markets but is less liquid in the US than Eagles or Maple Leafs, though it remains available from major American dealers.

5 oz Noah's Ark Specifications

The 5 oz Noah's Ark is struck in .999 fine silver, matching the rest of the silver range, and has been issued annually since 2012.

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 the face value in Drams, fineness, weight, the LEV mint mark and year of issue below. The reverse depicts Noah's Ark at the centre with a white dove carrying an olive branch, Mount Ararat rising behind under a sunrise. Both faces carry text in Armenian and English.

The face value is nominal and sits far below the coin's metal value. The LEV mint mark identifies the striking facility, an unusual arrangement in the bullion world: most sovereign coins are struck at the issuing country's own national mint, but Armenia contracts production to the private Leipzig facility. Silver Noah's Ark coins in standard sizes are packaged in sealed tubes filled with protective gas under the HQC (High Quality Conservation) system, which prevents tarnishing while the seal remains intact.

5 oz Noah's Ark Tax Treatment by Country

As a .999 fine silver coin, the 5 oz Noah's Ark sits at the 99.9% purity level that most exemption regimes use as their silver threshold, so it qualifies for tax-free treatment in more jurisdictions than its lack of UK legal tender status might suggest.

• UK: New silver coins attract 20% VAT. Pre-owned Noah's Ark coins are frequently sold under the margin scheme, where VAT applies only to the dealer's margin rather than the full price, making them among the more tax-efficient silver coins available in the UK. The coin is Armenian legal tender, not UK legal tender, so it is not CGT-exempt; that exemption applies to UK coins such as the Britannia.
• Germany and the EU: Silver coins are subject to VAT at full local rates (19% in Germany, 21% in the Netherlands), but Germany's differential taxation (margin scheme) applies to imported silver coins, reducing the effective tax to the dealer's margin. The Noah's Ark's German manufacturing origin supports a strong dealer network, and it is popular with German stackers for this reason.
• US: No federal sales tax; state rules vary, with roughly 35 states exempting bullion. Long-term capital gains are taxed at the 28% collectibles rate.
• Canada: GST/HST exempt, as the .999 fineness clears Canada's 99.9% purity requirement.
• Australia, New Zealand, Singapore: these jurisdictions exempt investment silver at 99.9% purity, a threshold the .999 Noah's Ark meets, so it qualifies for GST-free treatment in all three.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no import duty, no capital gains tax.
• Armenia: Exempt from VAT as domestic legal tender.

Armenia's Bullion Coin Since 2011

The Noah's Ark series launched in 2011 with 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz and 1 oz silver coins; the 5 oz, 10 oz, 1 kg and 5 kg sizes followed in 2012. The design, by Eduard Kurghinyan, commemorates Armenia's deep cultural connection to Mount Ararat and the biblical narrative of Noah's Ark. Armenia officially adopted Christianity in 301 AD, the first nation to do so, and the coin connects that religious heritage directly to the country's bullion programme. Mount Ararat itself now lies within Turkey rather than Armenia, yet it appears on the national coat of arms and on this coin, an enduring cultural and territorial claim rendered in silver.

The design has remained unchanged since launch, a deliberate choice mirroring major bullion series such as the Maple Leaf, Philharmonic and Eagle, where design continuity supports brand recognition and liquidity. Production has been handled throughout by Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitung in Germany, which became part of the Geiger Edelmetalle group in 2018; LEV is the minting subsidiary while Geiger handles distribution. Armenia lacks a modern bullion minting facility of its own, so the central bank contracts production to the Leipzig plant.

The series has grown into a substantial programme. More than 5 million silver coins have been produced since inception, with the 1 oz coin peaking at 1.66 million pieces in 2021, and gold versions joining the line-up with proofs in 2017 and bullion-grade coins from September 2020. Proof distribution is split evenly, with 1,000 sets going to the Armenian Central Bank for domestic distribution and 1,000 to the European market through Geiger.

5 oz Noah's Ark vs Libertad, ATB and 1 oz Alternatives

Few sovereign mints strike 5 oz silver coins, so the field of direct rivals is small. The America the Beautiful series (US Mint, 2010 to 2021) made the weight mainstream in the American market and produced the largest silver bullion coins ever struck by the United States, at 76.2 mm diameter. The series ended in 2021 after 56 designs and is now secondary market only, which can push collector premiums on certain designs above standard levels. The 5 oz Mexican Libertad takes the opposite approach: very low annual mintages make it sought-after among collectors internationally, and it carries premiums above standard bullion accordingly. Against both, the Noah's Ark is the stacker's option, an annually produced, consistently designed coin from a series positioned among the lowest-premium sovereign-backed silver coins in European markets.

The other comparison is within the format itself. Five-ounce coins generally carry lower per-ounce premiums than 1 oz coins but slightly higher than 10 oz products, so the 5 oz silver coin format suits buyers stepping up from single ounces without committing to 10 oz pieces. Buyers prioritising the lowest cost per ounce may prefer 5 oz bars from private mints, which avoid the coin's minting costs, though they give up legal tender status and central-bank backing.

For buyers who value the Noah's Ark series specifically, the choice against the 1 oz Noah's Ark comes down to divisibility versus premium: the 1 oz coin is easier to sell in small amounts and benefits from the HQC gas-sealed tube packaging in tubes of 20, while the 5 oz concentrates more metal in a single 50 mm coin.