Dove of Peace Silver

Dove of Peace Silver from the Holy Land Mint

The Dove of Peace is the flagship bullion series from Israel Coins and Medals Corp. (ICMC), trading internationally as The Holy Land Mint. The silver range includes 1 oz rounds, 1 oz bars, and bars in metric weights from 5 g up to 1 kilo, all struck in .999 fine silver. The series launched in 2014 with silver and expanded to gold in 2019, establishing the Holy Land Mint as the only bullion producer operating from Israel.

ICMC was established in 1958 by Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, originally to commemorate national events through coins and medals. It was fully government-owned until privatisation in 2008, when the G.R.A.S. Group acquired the operation. The pivot to investment bullion in 2014, with the Holy Land Mint brand and the Dove of Peace as its centrepiece, represented a commercial diversification from the company's commemorative origins. Despite the "Mint" branding, ICMC is not Israel's monetary authority (that role belongs to the Bank of Israel), and the Dove of Peace products are bullion rounds and bars, not legal tender coins.

The design features a dove in flight carrying an olive branch, soaring over the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem with its famous skyline beneath. The dove-and-olive-branch motif references the biblical story of Noah (Genesis 8:11), a symbol of peace with deep cultural resonance in the region. This imagery gives the series a religious and cultural appeal that distinguishes it from the heraldic and national symbols found on most sovereign-mint bullion.

The Dove of Peace silver products are available through major US dealers including APMEX, JM Bullion, and Money Metals, as well as directly from the Holy Land Mint at en.israelmint.com. The range of weights, from small metric bars suitable for gifts to the 1 kilo bar for larger investors, provides flexibility across different buying motivations. Each piece comes in tamper-proof sealed packaging with a unique serial number and Certieye optical authentication technology.

Dove of Peace Silver Product Range

All silver products come in tamper-proof sealed protective packaging (PETG blister packaging for bars) with a security film and a unique serial number printed on the assay card. Certieye authentication technology provides an optical verification system for confirming authenticity.

Gold versions are available from 1 g to 1 oz, all at .9999 fine gold (24 karat). The gold range includes both rounds and bars. The 2024 release marked the 10th anniversary of the Dove of Peace series and featured a special privy mark on the gold round.

The design has remained consistent since the 2014 launch, with year-date changes as the only variation between annual releases. The obverse carries the dove and Jerusalem skyline; the reverse displays Holy Land Mint branding with weight and purity specifications.

Dove of Peace Tax and Legal Status

The Dove of Peace products are private-mint bullion rounds and bars. They are not legal tender in any jurisdiction and carry no face value. This classification affects tax treatment in countries where legal tender coins receive preferential treatment.

• United States: The .999 silver purity meets the IRS minimum for precious metals IRA eligibility. Holy Land Mint products are available through major IRA-compatible dealers. Standard state sales tax exemptions apply in approximately 35 states. Federal capital gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• United Kingdom: Silver rounds and bars are subject to 20% VAT on purchase. Pre-owned pieces may qualify for the margin scheme. Not CGT-exempt (not UK legal tender). Gold Dove of Peace rounds and bars at .9999 purity qualify as VAT-exempt investment gold under EU-derived rules.
• Canada: Silver bars and rounds at .999 purity are generally GST/HST-exempt (exceeding the .995 threshold). Not eligible for RRSP or TFSA, as Canadian registered account rules for precious metals typically require coins with face value issued by a government mint.
• Australia: Silver at .999 purity in bar or round form meets the investment-grade definition for GST exemption.
• New Zealand: Fine silver at .999 purity is GST-exempt in bar, ingot, coin, or wafer form. Rounds may qualify depending on classification.
• Singapore: Silver bars at .999 purity weighing at least 0.5 troy oz qualify as Investment Precious Metals, exempt from 9% GST. Silver rounds at .999 purity that qualify as coins on the MAS-approved list would also be exempt, but the Dove of Peace round may not appear on this list as it is not legal tender.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no import duty, no capital gains tax on any bullion.
• European Union: Silver rounds and bars are subject to full local VAT rates (17%-27%). No investment silver directive exists. Margin scheme availability on pre-owned pieces varies by country.
• South Africa: Silver bullion is subject to 15% VAT regardless of form or purity.

Dove of Peace vs PAMP Suisse, Valcambi, and Sovereign Mint Silver

The most direct competitors for the Dove of Peace silver bars are the major Swiss private-mint bars from PAMP Suisse and Valcambi. All three produce .999 silver bars in sealed assay packaging with individual serial numbers. PAMP has the broadest international dealer recognition and the Veriscan authentication system; Valcambi offers some of the most competitively priced LBMA-accredited silver bars globally. The Holy Land Mint bars compete on design distinctiveness (the dove and Jerusalem skyline imagery is unique in the market) and cultural/religious appeal, but they trade with slightly wider bid-ask spreads than the Swiss products due to a narrower dealer network.

Against sovereign-mint silver coins like the American Silver Eagle, Silver Maple Leaf, or Silver Britannia, the Dove of Peace lacks legal tender status and the associated tax advantages (CGT exemption in the UK for Britannias, broader IRA custodian acceptance for sovereign-mint products). Sovereign coins also benefit from tighter buy-sell spreads and more consistent resale demand. The Dove of Peace is priced competitively against sovereign coins but does not match the liquidity of the top-tier government issues.

The series' unique selling point is its Israeli provenance and religious symbolism. No other established bullion producer operates from Israel, and the dove-and-olive-branch motif over the Jerusalem skyline carries a cultural weight that resonates with buyers for whom the connection to the Holy Land is meaningful. This gives the Dove of Peace a specific market segment (religious gifts, cultural collectors, buyers with ties to Israel) that generic Swiss or sovereign-mint products do not address.

The breadth of the silver range is also notable. With bars from 5 g to 1 kilo, the Dove of Peace offers more weight options than most competing bar series. The smaller metric bars (5 g, 10 g, 20 g) are particularly suited to gift-giving, an area where the religious design adds value that a generic PAMP Fortuna bar does not provide.