Predator Silver

The Royal Canadian Mint's Four Apex Predators in .9999 Silver

The Predator series is a four-coin silver bullion set produced by the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) between 2016 and 2019. Each coin features one of Canada's apex predators, struck in 1 oz .9999 fine silver with a $5 CAD face value and legal tender status backed by the Government of Canada. The series is complete with no further releases planned, and all four coins are available only on the secondary market.

The .9999 purity (four nines) is a notable feature. Most silver bullion coins, including the American Eagle and Austrian Philharmonic, use .999 (three nines). Only the Royal Canadian Mint and Perth Mint routinely produce .9999 silver bullion, giving the Predator series a measurable purity advantage that also satisfies the most stringent tax exemption thresholds worldwide.

The four coins depict the Cougar (2016), Lynx (2017), Wolf (2018), and Grizzly Bear (2019). Three of the four were designed by Emily Damstra, a prolific wildlife artist who has also designed coins for the US Mint (including the 2022 US Quarter featuring Anna May Wong). The 2018 Wolf was designed by Nathalie Lagace, giving it a noticeably different artistic style from the other three. All four designs capture their subjects in action poses (striking, leaping, running, attacking) rather than static portraits.

Mintages declined across the series: 1,000,000 for the Cougar, 500,000 each for the Lynx and Grizzly, and just 300,000 for the Wolf. That declining pattern makes the 2018 Wolf the scarcest coin, and it typically commands the highest secondary market premiums. The combined total across all four coins is 2,300,000 pieces.

Predator Series Specifications and Mintage

Individual Coins

The series uses the RCM's standard bullion finish: brilliant frosted relief on a lined background. This distinctive surface treatment combines a frosted, matte-textured relief for the main design elements with fine parallel lines cut into the background field. The visual contrast makes the design pop and is difficult to replicate with amateur counterfeiting methods, though it is not a formal security feature in the way that the RCM's DNA technology or micro-engraving are. Those advanced features are reserved for the Silver Maple Leaf flagship line.

The .9999 purity (four nines fine) means each coin contains 31.10 grams of silver with only 0.0031 grams of trace elements. This is one decimal place purer than the .999 standard used by most sovereign mints for silver bullion, including the US Mint (American Eagle), Royal Mint (Britannia), and Austrian Mint (Philharmonic). The extra nine is a hallmark of Royal Canadian Mint production and places the Predator series at the same purity level as the Maple Leaf and Perth Mint products.

Predator Series Tax and Legal Status

As legal tender coins from the Royal Canadian Mint with $5 CAD face values, the Predator series benefits from the favourable tax treatment extended to sovereign-mint bullion across most jurisdictions.

Canada

The Predator coins are GST/HST-exempt as legal tender bullion coins. The .9999 purity far exceeds the 99.9% minimum threshold for the exemption. Capital gains are subject to the 50% inclusion rate (50% of the gain added to income and taxed at the marginal rate). The coins qualify for RRSP and TFSA inclusion through custodians that accept RCM products.

United Kingdom

Silver coins are subject to 20% VAT on purchase regardless of legal tender status. As legal tender from a recognised sovereign mint, the Predator coins may qualify for the VAT margin scheme through some UK dealers (VAT charged only on the dealer's margin rather than the full price, resulting in an effective rate closer to 0-5% rather than the full 20%). This is dealer-dependent and applies primarily to pre-owned stock. The coins are not CGT-exempt because they are not UK legal tender.

United States

The .9999 silver purity and sovereign-mint legal-tender status make the Predator coins IRA-eligible. They are widely accepted by IRA custodians. State sales tax treatment varies, with approximately 35 states exempting precious metals. Long-term capital gains are taxed at the 28% collectibles rate.

Australia

The .9999 purity exceeds Australia's 99.9% threshold for GST-free investment silver. Capital gains tax applies on disposal, with a 50% discount for assets held longer than 12 months.

Singapore and Hong Kong

Singapore exempts qualifying Investment Precious Metals from the 9% GST. The Predator coins' .9999 purity and legal-tender status should qualify. Hong Kong has no sales tax, import duty, or capital gains tax on precious metals.

Canada's Predators Captured in .9999 Silver

The Predator series launched in 2016 as a successor to the RCM's Birds of Prey series (2014-2016), which had used the same format of four limited-mintage .9999 silver coins with wildlife themes. The concept celebrated Canada's wildlife heritage by depicting apex predators representing different ecological niches across Canadian ecosystems.

The 2016 Cougar (mountain lion) opened the series with the largest mintage at one million coins. Emily Damstra's design shows the cougar in left-profile relief, striking at prey. The ambitious mintage was calibrated to gauge market demand for the new series.

The 2017 Lynx halved the mintage to 500,000. Damstra's design captures the lynx in right-profile relief, poised to attack, with detailed rendering of the species' natural winter adaptations: tufted ears and thick fur. The lynx represents a stealth hunter, contrasting with the cougar's ambush-predator approach.

The 2018 Wolf dropped the mintage further to 300,000, making it the scarcest coin in the series. Nathalie Lagace designed this release (the only coin not by Damstra), showing a wolf running in left-profile relief in pursuit of prey. Lagace's style is noticeably more dynamic and action-oriented than Damstra's, which some collectors view as a design inconsistency and others see as variety. The wolf represents the pack predator, the only social hunter among the four featured animals.

The 2019 Grizzly Bear closed the series with a mintage of 500,000. Damstra's design depicts a grizzly leaping at prey, mouth open. The grizzly is an opportunistic omnivore rather than a pure carnivore, rounding out the series' ecological survey.

All four coins carry the Queen Elizabeth II obverse portrait by Susanna Blunt, as the series predates the transition to King Charles III on Canadian coinage. The series launched alongside the RCM's "Call of the Wild" gold coin series (2014-2017), which featured many of the same Canadian animals struck in .99999 gold (five-nine purity).

Predator vs Maple Leaf, Birds of Prey, and Perth Mint Wildlife

Predator vs Canadian Silver Maple Leaf

The Silver Maple Leaf is the RCM's flagship bullion coin, sharing the same .9999 purity and $5 face value. The Maple Leaf has unlimited mintage, DNA anti-counterfeiting technology, and radial lines security features that the Predator series lacks. For pure investment (lowest premiums, highest liquidity, strongest brand recognition), the Maple Leaf is the better choice. The Predator series appeals to buyers who want RCM quality with limited mintages and varied wildlife designs.

Predator vs Canadian Birds of Prey

The Birds of Prey series (2014-2016) was the Predator's direct predecessor using the same format: four .9999 silver coins with limited mintages and Canadian wildlife themes. The Birds of Prey featured the Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawk, and Horned Owl. Mintages were similar (ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000). Both series have comparable secondary market dynamics, with scarcer years commanding premiums. The Predator series' mammal themes tend to have broader collector appeal than the Birds of Prey's avian subjects.

Predator vs Perth Mint Wildlife Coins

The Perth Mint produces limited-mintage wildlife coins in .9999 silver across several series (Kangaroo, Kookaburra, Koala). These are comparable in concept (sovereign mint, .9999 silver, wildlife themes) but feature Australian animals and carry AUD face values. Perth Mint coins tend to have higher mintages than the Predator series' 300,000-1,000,000 range, and their longer-running series offer deeper collector markets. The choice between Canadian and Australian wildlife comes down to personal preference and regional availability.

Predator vs Queen's Beasts

The Royal Mint's Queen's Beasts series (10 coins, 2016-2021) featured heraldic beasts rather than real animals, with 2 oz silver and higher face values. The Beasts ran longer and covered more designs but used .9999 silver only on gold versions (the silver coins were .999). The Predator series' purity advantage and real-animal themes give it a different appeal, though the Queen's Beasts has stronger recognition in UK and European markets.