How silver is priced in Ireland
Irish dealers quote silver in euros per ounce for coins and per kilo for bars. The figures here are spot silver converted at today's EUR/USD rate — the metal value before 23% VAT, dealer premiums and buy-back spreads.
VAT and Capital Gains Tax
The EU VAT exemption for investment gold does not cover silver, so new silver bars and coins carry Ireland's standard 23% VAT — one of the higher rates in the EU. Second-hand coins may be sold under the margin scheme, where VAT is due only on the dealer's margin. Gains on silver are subject to Capital Gains Tax above the €1,270 annual exemption. Budget 2027, announced on 7 October 2026, cut the standard rate from 33% to 31% for disposals made on or after 7 October 2026; the cut still has to be passed in the Finance Bill, and earlier disposals are taxed at 33%.
Silver bars and silverware are chattels (tangible movable property), and a chattel sold for €2,540 or less is generally exempt, with marginal relief just above that amount. Items forming a set and sold to the same person count as one sale, and the exemption does not apply to currency.
Irish silver coins
Irish Free State halfcrowns, florins and shillings from 1928 to the early 1940s are 75% silver; later coins are cupronickel. A halfcrown from this period (14.14 g) holds about 10.6 g of pure silver. The 1966 ten-shilling coin, struck for the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising, is 83.3% silver and holds about 15.1 g. Ireland has no silver bullion coin of its own, so dealers mainly sell Britannias, Maple Leafs and Philharmonics.
Hallmarking
Hallmarking is compulsory in Ireland with no weight exemption, so even small silver items must be hallmarked by the Assay Office at Dublin Castle before sale. Legal silver standards are 999, 958 (Britannia), 925 (sterling) and 800.
Tax and duty information last reviewed October 2026. Rules change — confirm with your dealer or tax authority before a large purchase.