The Wild Silver

Scottsdale Mint's Colorized Wildlife Rounds

The Wild is a colorized silver round series from Scottsdale Mint featuring North American game animals in vivid full-colour imagery. Each round contains one troy ounce of .999 fine silver and is sealed in Scottsdale's proprietary Certi-Lock packaging, a tamper-evident card that doubles as a certificate of authenticity. The series also includes 5 oz editions for collectors who want larger format pieces with enhanced detail.

The series maintains a consistent reverse across all releases: a front-facing white-tailed deer skull, a motif drawn from North American outdoor heritage that serves as the unifying symbol of the collection. The obverse changes with each new issue, depicting a different animal in full-colour detail against a natural wilderness backdrop. Known releases include the White-Tailed Deer (a mature buck beside a creek), Elk (standing amidst mountain woodlands), Mountain Lion (perched on a rocky cliff), and Moose (amidst boreal forests). Additional releases are expected as the series continues.

These are private mint rounds, not government-issued legal tender coins. They carry no face value and no sovereign backing. For buyers, this distinction matters primarily in two areas: tax treatment (rounds may be classified differently from coins in some US states) and IRA eligibility (private mint .999 silver rounds generally do not qualify for precious metals IRAs, which typically require sovereign mint coins or bars from accredited refiners). The trade-off is a distinctive product that combines bullion investment with wildlife-themed display appeal, sealed in packaging that protects both the coloured surface and the buyer's confidence in authenticity.

Colorized bullion divides opinion among stackers. Purists prefer unadorned metal and view colourisation as an unnecessary premium. Others value the visual appeal, the display convenience of the Certi-Lock format, and the themed collecting aspect. The Wild targets the latter group, carrying premiums of roughly $5 to $10 over spot compared to $1 to $3 for plain generic rounds. Whether that premium is justified depends on whether you see the colour as adding lasting collectible value or as a markup on the same troy ounce of silver underneath.

The Wild Round Specifications

The Certi-Lock card is Scottsdale Mint's proprietary tamper-evident packaging system, developed specifically to address counterfeit concerns in the online bullion market. The card allows inspection of both sides of the round while maintaining a sealed environment that protects the colorized surface from handling wear. Removing the round from its card exposes the colourisation to potential degradation, so most holders keep them sealed.

The colorization process covers the full obverse design area, setting The Wild apart from many colourised products that apply only accent colour to portions of the design. Each round also carries Scottsdale Mint's lion hallmark, the mint's established brand mark.

Tax Treatment for The Wild Silver Rounds

As private mint rounds without legal tender status, The Wild products fall into specific tax categories that differ from sovereign mint coins in several jurisdictions.

United States

State sales tax treatment varies. Most states that exempt bullion do so for coins and bars meeting purity thresholds, but some states define "coins" narrowly to mean government-issued legal tender only. In those states, private mint rounds may not qualify for the exemption. Buyers should verify their state's specific classification. On the federal side, silver is classified as a collectible with a maximum long-term capital gains rate of 28%. The Wild rounds are generally not IRA-eligible: IRS Section 408(m) requires silver to be .999+ purity from a sovereign mint or an accredited refiner, and private mint rounds from Scottsdale Mint typically do not meet the accredited refiner requirement for IRA custodians.

United Kingdom

Silver bullion carries 20% VAT regardless of form. The Wild rounds are subject to full VAT with no exemption available. They are not UK legal tender and therefore not CGT-exempt. Any capital gain on disposal is subject to CGT at the individual's rate (18% or 24%), with the annual exemption of £3,000.

Canada

Investment-grade silver meeting the 99.9%+ purity threshold is GST/HST exempt. The Wild rounds at .999 purity meet this threshold, so they should qualify for the exemption regardless of being private mint products. Capital gains are taxed at the 50% inclusion rate.

Australia

Investment-grade precious metals are GST-free when meeting purity thresholds (.999+ for silver in forms commonly traded on commodity markets). The Wild rounds should qualify, though availability from Australian dealers is limited.

The Wild vs Other Wildlife and Private Mint Silver Rounds

The most direct comparison for The Wild is the Royal Canadian Mint's Canadian Wildlife Series, which ran from 2011 to 2013 and featured six Canadian animals (Wolf, Grizzly, Cougar, Moose, Antelope, Bison). The RCM series was struck at .9999 purity in 1 oz silver coins with legal tender status, giving it stronger resale liquidity and broader tax-exempt treatment. It was not colorized, and the series is now discontinued, meaning secondary market prices reflect collector premiums on top of silver content. The Wild fills a similar wildlife-themed niche but as an ongoing series with colour and lower secondary market liquidity.

Within Scottsdale Mint's own catalogue, The Wild competes for attention with the Congo Silverback Gorilla, which is legal tender of the Republic of Congo and features African wildlife rather than North American game animals. The Gorilla carries sovereign backing that The Wild lacks, potentially making it eligible for tax exemptions and IRA inclusion where The Wild is not. Both share Scottsdale's production quality, but the Gorilla is a plain bullion coin without colourisation.

Compared to generic silver rounds from other US private mints, such as Sunshine Minting's Liberty or the widely traded Buffalo/Indian Head design, The Wild carries significantly higher premiums. A plain generic round typically trades at $1 to $3 over spot, making it substantially cheaper per ounce of actual silver. Sunshine Minting also offers its proprietary MintMark SI security feature (a decoder lens authentication system), which provides arguably stronger anti-counterfeiting protection than The Wild's Certi-Lock card. The choice between them comes down to whether you prioritise lowest cost per ounce (generic rounds) or visual appeal and themed collecting (The Wild).

Perth Mint's colorized coin offerings occupy a higher price tier with government backing, limited editions, and collector-grade premiums. They target a different buyer: someone collecting numismatic pieces rather than accumulating silver bullion with decorative appeal. The Wild sits between this collector tier and the pure-bullion generic round market.