Scottsdale Archangel Michael Silver

Scottsdale Mint's Archangel Michael Silver Bars

The Archangel Michael series from Scottsdale Mint occupies a specific niche in the silver market: faith-based bullion with production quality above the typical private-mint round. Scottsdale Mint, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is ISO 9001:2015 certified and follows ASTM Standards for purity and weight, which puts their manufacturing credentials a step above many competitors in the themed bullion space.

The series is available as a 1 oz silver bar and a 10 oz silver bar, both struck in .999 fine silver. A 1 oz gold version in .9999 fine gold also exists. These are minted bars, not cast, giving them a cleaner finish and sharper detail than hand-poured alternatives. Each bar ships in a sealed capsule for tamper evidence.

The religious bullion market is a genuine category with dedicated buyers, and the Archangel Michael is a figure with unusually broad appeal. He is venerated across Christianity (patron saint of warriors, police, and the sick), Judaism (protector of Israel), and Islam (Mikail, angel of mercy and sustenance). That cross-faith significance gives these bars a wider potential audience than products tied to a single denomination.

The most famous bullion product featuring the Archangel Michael is Ukraine's government-issued silver coin, produced since 2011. Availability of the Ukrainian version has been disrupted since 2022 due to the conflict, which has pushed some buyers toward alternatives like the Scottsdale bar. The key trade-off is that the Scottsdale version lacks legal tender status and government backing, but it is readily available from major US dealers and carries Scottsdale's established brand reputation.

Archangel Michael Bar Specifications

The 1 oz silver version is available in sealed boards of 5 bars or custom boxes of 125 bars for bulk buyers. The obverse depicts the Archangel Michael as a winged warrior wielding a sword and shield, standing over a defeated serpent, a scene drawn directly from the Book of Revelation. The reverse carries the Scottsdale Mint lion hallmark, a crowned lion that serves as their brand identifier across all products, along with weight and purity markings.

Both silver bars are .999 fine (three nines), which is standard for private-mint silver products. The gold version steps up to .9999 fine, matching sovereign mint standards. No serial numbers or assay cards are included; authentication relies on the Scottsdale hallmark, weight verification, and the sealed capsule packaging.

Tax Treatment for Archangel Michael Bars

These are private-mint bars with no legal tender status, which affects their tax treatment in several jurisdictions.

In the United States, .999 fine silver bars generally meet IRA purity requirements under IRS Section 408(m), though eligibility depends on the specific custodian's approved product list. Scottsdale Mint is a recognised manufacturer, which helps with IRA acceptance. State sales tax varies; approximately 35 states exempt bullion purchases, with California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York applying partial exemptions based on transaction thresholds. Capital gains on silver bullion are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28% for holdings over one year.

In the United Kingdom, silver bars attract the full 20% VAT regardless of purity. The VAT-free treatment that applies to investment gold does not extend to silver. Pre-owned silver can qualify for the margin scheme (VAT on the dealer's profit margin only), but new bars from a private mint carry the full rate. These bars are not CGT-exempt, as that benefit is reserved for UK legal tender coins like the Silver Britannia.

In Canada, silver bars refined to 99.9% purity or higher are exempt from GST/HST under federal rules. The Archangel Michael bars at .999 fine exceed this threshold and qualify for the exemption. In Australia, investment-grade silver (99.9% purity or higher in a form commonly traded) is GST-free. In Singapore, .999 silver in bar form qualifies as an Investment Precious Metal and is GST-exempt. Hong Kong has no sales tax on precious metals.

Archangel Michael vs Other Religious and Themed Silver Bars

The closest competitor to the Scottsdale Archangel Michael is the Ukrainian Archangel Michael coin, issued by the National Bank of Ukraine since 2011 as legal tender. The Ukrainian version is a 1 oz .999 fine silver coin with a face value of 1 hryvnia. It carried stronger secondary market recognition and government backing, but availability has been inconsistent since 2022. For buyers specifically seeking an Archangel Michael bullion product, the Scottsdale bar is the more reliably available option.

PAMP Suisse produces several religious-themed bars, including the Cross and Romanesque Cross designs, but none featuring the Archangel Michael specifically. PAMP bars carry higher premiums and include individually serialised assay cards, a security feature the Scottsdale bars lack. For buyers who prioritise authentication and resale liquidity over a specific design, PAMP's religious range is the more established choice.

Within Scottsdale Mint's own catalogue, the Archangel Michael competes with their other minted bar designs. The Scottsdale Lunar series offers annual zodiac designs with Samoan legal tender status, a meaningful advantage for tax treatment in some jurisdictions. Standard Scottsdale bars (the Lion bar, the Stacker) trade at lower premiums and are more liquid on the secondary market, but lack the thematic appeal that drives demand for the Archangel Michael.

The bar format itself is a differentiator. Most religious-themed bullion comes as rounds, which are cheaper to produce and more common. The rectangular bar format gives the Archangel Michael design more surface area for detail, particularly in the 10 oz version, where the larger canvas allows the warrior iconography to be rendered at a scale that rounds cannot match.