1/4 oz Egyptian Relic Silver Round

The 1/4 oz Egyptian Relic in Silver

The Egyptian Relic series comes from Scottsdale Mint, the Arizona-founded private mint that produces it for the Republic of Chad. Launched in 2016, the series depicts figures, deities, and artifacts from ancient Egypt, with real hieroglyphics incorporated into the designs. Its signature feature is an antique finish combined with rimless, rough-textured edges that Scottsdale calls a "chiseled granite" effect, made to look like a fragment of carved stone rather than a conventional bullion piece. Subjects across the series have included King Tut, Horus, Queen Nefertiti, Ramesses II, the Sphinx of Hatshepsut, Anubis, and Kek.

This page covers the 1/4 oz silver round format. A quarter ounce is an unusual weight for silver; it is not a standard silver bullion size and appears mainly as fractional pieces from private mints. At 7.78 grams of metal, the appeal here is the design and the low absolute price per piece rather than cost efficiency, since small fractional silver always carries more premium per ounce than larger pieces. The series itself sits at the collectible end of the bullion spectrum: mintages on the flagship coins have trended downward over the years, and earlier releases have developed secondary market premiums. Buyers comparing prices on a piece like this should weigh the design appeal against the cheaper metal available in standard 1 oz silver rounds.

Tax Treatment of Fractional Silver Rounds

Silver rounds are taxed the same as silver bars in every major jurisdiction; the format makes no difference except in the UK, where only legal tender coins qualify for capital gains tax exemption.

• UK: 20% VAT applies on purchase of new silver, and rounds are not CGT-exempt since they carry no legal tender status. Pre-owned silver sold under the dealer margin scheme can avoid most of the VAT.
• US: No federal sales tax; most states exempt bullion, while around ten tax it and a handful apply thresholds (for example, New York and Massachusetts exempt purchases over $1,000). Long-term gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• Canada: Silver refined to 99.9% or higher purity is GST/HST exempt. A 999 fine round qualifies.
• Australia: Investment-grade silver requires 99.9% purity for the GST exemption.
• New Zealand: Silver at 99.9% purity or higher is GST-exempt.
• EU: Silver attracts full local VAT, typically 17-27%, and rounds get no margin scheme benefit when new.
• Singapore and Hong Kong: No tax on qualifying investment silver in Singapore (99.9% purity under the IPM scheme); Hong Kong has no sales tax at all.

Comparing pre-tax prices is the cleanest approach, since tax depends on where you live rather than on the product.

Egyptian Relic vs Other Themed Silver

The closest competitor in concept is the Egyptian Gods series from Elemetal and Provident, a 2 oz silver round line with similar deity themes. Those are private mint rounds with no sovereign connection, whereas the Egyptian Relic series was created under the Republic of Chad's coin program. Scottsdale Mint also produces the Congolese Silverback Gorilla series for another African nation, using a standard brilliant uncirculated finish rather than the Relic line's antique treatment. Fiji's Mandala Art series takes a comparable approach, pairing ancient civilisation themes with an antique finish, but with a different aesthetic.

Against ordinary bullion, the trade-offs are straightforward. Generic silver rounds typically run 5-10% over spot, between bars at 3-8% and government coins at 15-25%, and themed or limited-run designs sit above generic pieces. Resale liquidity is also lower than for government bullion coins; a Britannia or Maple Leaf sells to any dealer instantly, while a niche themed piece may take longer to move and recover less of its premium. The fractional 1/4 oz format adds a further premium layer, since small silver always costs more per ounce to produce. This is a piece for buyers who want the design; stackers focused purely on ounces will get more metal from 1oz silver rounds or larger bars.