A 1/2 oz fine silver coin from the Royal Canadian Mint, featuring the Arctic polar bear and issued as $2 CAD legal tender.
99.99% (.9999 fine)
Brilliant Uncirculated
Royal Canadian Mint
Mint Dates
2018
Composition
99.99% silver (.9999 fine)
Diameter / Weight
32.3 mm / 0.50 oz.
IRA Eligible
Yes, IRA Approved
Available Sizes
See SKU weight
The 2018 1/2 oz Canadian Polar Bear Silver Coin pairs 99.99% (.9999 fine) silver content with sovereign-grade authority, giving you a tradeable bullion position with clear provenance.
The 2018 Canadian Polar Bear is struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, a refiner known for .9999 fine silver. Each coin contains 1/2 troy ounce of silver and is legal tender of Canada with a $2 CAD face value, backed by the Canadian government.
The reverse features a polar bear on Arctic ice, a design celebrating one of Canada’s most iconic species. The obverse shows the Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The coin is finished in brilliant uncirculated strike with crisp detail. Canadian wildlife and commemorative coins are popular semi-numismatic holds because the RCM strictly enforces annual mintage caps, making older dates progressively harder to source.
Fractional silver coins like the 1/2 oz Polar Bear offer flexibility for smaller purchase increments and gift-giving. The Royal Canadian Mint’s global reputation ensures easy resale at competitive premiums. Cedar Gold’s Buyback Guarantee commits to purchase this product back at competitive market rates for as long as you hold it, with zero liquidation fees on the outbound side.
Eligible for self-directed Precious Metals IRAs, this fractional coin allows investors to scale positions in smaller denominations without sacrificing purity or recognition. Inside a self-directed Precious Metals IRA, this product is held by a qualified custodian at an approved depository, so you retain ownership but cannot take personal possession until distribution.
Weight: 0.50 oz
Diameter: 32.3 mm
Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU)
Edge: Reeded (typical for bullion strike)
Denomination: CAD $10
Grade: BU
Dimensions and weight are to mint specification. Coins ship in capsule where noted; bars ship in sealed assay packaging.
Metal: Silver
Purity: 99.99% (.9999 fine)
99.99% silver (.9999 fine). Top-tier commercial silver purity.
Mint: Royal Canadian Mint
Struck in 2018. Capped mintage; RCM wildlife release.
Struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, a Crown corporation of Canada established in 1908. The RCM is a benchmark refinery to LBMA Good Delivery standard and is known for advanced anti-counterfeit features.
Obverse: Effigy of the reigning monarch (RCM standard portrait).
Reverse: Germaine Arnaktauyok polar bear design on an arctic ice field.
Ships in a protective capsule. Store in the capsule to maintain the BU finish.
Sovereign mint strike with dealer-standard authentication: weight, dimensions, and recognised design.
This product meets the statutory minimum fineness for silver in a Precious Metals IRA (.999), at 0.9999 pure. It is struck by a recognized sovereign mint and can be held by a qualified custodian at an approved depository.
IRS REQUIREMENTS (IRC §408(m)(3))
The Internal Revenue Code sets statutory minimum fineness thresholds for metals held in an IRA: gold .995, silver .999, platinum .9995, palladium .9995. Coins must be produced by a qualifying sovereign mint; bars must be produced by a refiner accredited by NYMEX, COMEX, NYSE-LIFFE, LME, LBMA, LPPM, TOCOM, ISO 9000, or a national government mint.
Collectibles are generally disallowed under IRC §408(m); the precious-metals exception in §408(m)(3) is narrow and fineness-driven. Specific U.S. coins, notably the American Gold Eagle and Silver Eagle are listed by statute.
A Precious Metals IRA must be held under a qualified custodian (trust company, bank, or qualifying non-bank custodian) and the metals themselves must be stored at an approved depository. You do not take personal possession of IRA-owned metals while they remain inside the account.
Common depositories include the Delaware Depository, Brink’s Global Services, IDS of Delaware and Texas, and A-M Global Logistics. Your chosen custodian will coordinate shipment and intake with the depository on your behalf.
Depositories offer two storage modes: segregated (your coins are held in a dedicated account and never commingled) and non-segregated or pooled (like-kind coins of the same series are stored together and a specific bar/coin is returned on distribution). Segregated storage carries a higher fee but preserves specific-coin identity.
All IRA-approved depositories carry all-risk insurance with Lloyd’s of London underwriting covering fire, theft, natural disaster, and employee dishonesty. Annual storage and insurance fees typically run from approximately $100 to $300, depending on account size and storage mode.
Traditional Precious Metals IRA: contributions may be deductible; growth is tax-deferred; distributions are taxed as ordinary income. Roth Precious Metals IRA: contributions are after-tax; qualified distributions (age 59½ and 5-year rule) are tax-free. Physical metals held in an IRA are treated identically to paper assets for tax purposes; the collectibles-rate long-term capital gains rule does NOT apply to metals held inside a qualifying IRA.
You can fund a Precious Metals IRA through a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer, a 60-day indirect rollover, or annual contributions. Direct transfers have no frequency limits and are not reported to the IRS as distributions. 60-day rollovers are limited to one per 12-month period across all of your IRAs (the Bobrow rule).
Eligible source accounts: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA (after two years), 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), and TSP. The 2026 annual IRA contribution limit is $7,500 ($8,600 with the age-50 catch-up, per IRS Notice 2025-67). Confirm with your CPA or custodian.
Note: Cedar Gold Group is not a tax, legal, or financial advisor. IRA eligibility information is based on IRC §408(m)(3) as interpreted at the time of publication. Consult your tax professional and IRA custodian for guidance on your specific account.
