1 oz SilverTowne Buffalo Silver Round

The SilverTowne Buffalo 1 oz Silver Round

The SilverTowne Buffalo is the most widely distributed named-brand buffalo round on the US market. SilverTowne has been minting their version of James Earle Fraser's 1913 Buffalo Nickel design for over a decade, and it consistently ranks as their single best-selling product. The round contains one troy ounce of .999 fine silver and trades at premiums near the floor of the silver round market, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to buy silver in a standardised, countable format.

SilverTowne's history is worth knowing. The company was founded in 1949 by Leon Hendrickson, a World War II veteran who ran a restaurant in Winchester, Indiana. Hendrickson kept unusual coins in a cigar box and began selling them to customers, eventually building one of the largest precious metals dealers and private mints in the United States. SilverTowne Mint began striking its own products in 1973, and the Winchester, Indiana facility remains operational today. The company is one of the oldest continuously operating precious metals businesses in the US.

The buffalo round design itself is public domain, and multiple mints produce their own versions. When dealers sell "generic buffalo rounds", the buyer may receive a round from SilverTowne, Golden State Mint, Highland Mint, or another producer. Buying specifically "SilverTowne Buffalo" guarantees the manufacturer. In practice, the premium difference between a named SilverTowne round and a random-brand buffalo round is minimal, but the SilverTowne name provides consistent quality and the assurance of a 75-year-old business standing behind the product.

For buyers comparing 1 oz silver rounds, the SilverTowne Buffalo is the volume benchmark. It is the default choice for stackers who want to accumulate the most silver per dollar without resorting to bars (which lack the standardised-unit countability of rounds). The Buffalo design is universally recognised by US dealers, making resale straightforward.

SilverTowne Buffalo Round Specifications

Design

The obverse reproduces James Earle Fraser's Native American portrait from the 1913 Buffalo Nickel. Fraser's portrait is a composite of three sitters: Iron Tail (Oglala Lakota), Two Moons (Northern Cheyenne), and John Big Tree (Seneca, though the attribution has been historically debated). "LIBERTY" appears in the upper right field. The reverse shows an American bison standing atop a small mound, modelled after "Black Diamond", a bison at the Central Park Zoo in New York City, with SilverTowne's name and weight/purity markings around the rim. The original Buffalo Nickel was minted by the US Mint from 1913 to 1938, and the design entered the public domain to become the most widely reproduced motif in private minting.

Variants

• Dated: Year of production stamped on the round (e.g. "2014", "2015"). Some collectors seek specific years, though the premium difference over undated versions is negligible.
• Undated: No year marking. The most common version, treated as interchangeable generic bullion by dealers.
• Stackable rim: A thicker, flat rim designed for neat stacking without lateral sliding. Same weight and purity as the standard version.

Packaging and Authentication

Individual rounds ship in protective plastic flips. Bulk options include tubes of 20 and monster boxes of 500 (25 tubes). The round has no advanced security features such as micro-engraving, holographic elements, or privy marks. Authentication relies on weight, dimensions, reeded edge, and the SilverTowne mint mark stamped on the round. Sigma Metalytics or XRF testing can verify composition if needed for larger transactions or secondary market sales.

SilverTowne Buffalo Round Tax Treatment

The SilverTowne Buffalo is a private mint round with no legal tender status. It follows standard silver bullion tax rules, identical to other .999 silver rounds and bars.

Purchase Tax

• United States: No federal sales tax. IRA-eligible (the .999 purity from a recognised manufacturer meets IRS Section 408(m) requirements). State sales tax varies; approximately 35 states exempt investment bullion. Key threshold states: California (exempt over $2,000), Florida (over $500), New York (over $1,000), Louisiana (over $1,000), Massachusetts (over $1,000).
• United Kingdom: 20% VAT on silver bullion. Available from Atkinsons Bullion in the UK but carries full VAT. Not competitive with margin-scheme or CGT-exempt options like the 1 oz Silver Britannia for UK buyers.
• Canada: GST/HST exempt at 99.9%+ purity.
• Australia: GST-free as investment-grade silver (99.9% purity).
• New Zealand: GST-exempt at 99.9% purity.
• Singapore: GST-exempt under IPM for qualifying silver.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax or import duty.
• South Africa: 15% VAT on silver bullion.
• EU: Standard VAT rates (17-27%) on silver rounds.

Capital Gains

• US: IRA-eligible for tax-advantaged holding. Outside an IRA, taxed as a collectible (28% maximum long-term rate).
• UK: CGT at 18-24%. Not CGT-exempt. £3,000 annual exemption.
• Canada: 50% inclusion rate.
• Australia: CGT with 50% discount after 12 months.
• Singapore, Hong Kong, NZ: No capital gains tax.

SilverTowne Buffalo vs Other 1 oz Silver Rounds

The SilverTowne Buffalo is the benchmark against which other private mint rounds are measured, primarily because of its combination of low premium, established brand, and dealer ubiquity. Every major US bullion dealer stocks it.

The 1 oz Sunshine Minting Silver Round is the SilverTowne Buffalo's closest competitor among named-brand rounds. Sunshine's MintMark SI technology provides a genuine anti-counterfeiting advantage: a micro-engraved feature visible only through a proprietary decoder lens. SilverTowne rounds have no equivalent. For buyers concerned about verification (particularly for large purchases or resale to unfamiliar dealers), Sunshine's security feature adds tangible value at a similar price point.

The 1 oz Scottsdale Stacker Round offers a physical stacking advantage with its interlocking mechanism, at a higher premium. The 1 oz Scottsdale Cowboy Round adds .9999 purity and artistic design at an even higher premium. Both Scottsdale options provide features the SilverTowne Buffalo simply does not attempt to offer. The Buffalo wins on price; the Scottsdale rounds win on features and purity.

Against sovereign coins, the economics are clear. The 1 oz American Silver Eagle typically trades at $4-$8 or more above the SilverTowne Buffalo per ounce. The Eagle has legal tender status, government backing, and a massive global secondary market. The 1 oz Silver Philharmonic is consistently among the lowest-premium sovereign coins and narrows the gap. For pure metal accumulation, the SilverTowne Buffalo delivers the most ounces per dollar in the round format. For liquidity and recognition outside North America, sovereign coins command the advantage.