IRS-Approved Gold IRA Coins: Complete Reference Table (Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium)

What Makes a Coin IRA-Eligible Under IRC §408(m)(3)

The governing law is Internal Revenue Code Section 408(m)(3), which defines exactly which coins or bullion a self-directed IRA may hold. Two routes to eligibility exist.

Route 1: Specific statutory listing. The American Gold Eagle is named directly in IRC §408(m)(3)(A), alongside the American Silver Eagle, American Gold Buffalo, and American Platinum Eagle. These coins are eligible regardless of their exact fineness because Congress wrote them into the statute. The American Gold Eagle at .9167 fineness is the clearest example: it would not clear the general fineness floor, but it qualifies because of its specific statutory carve-out. The American Palladium Eagle was added to the statute by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015, effective January 1, 2016.

Route 2: General fineness standard. Coins not named in the statute can still qualify if they are produced by a national government mint and meet these minimum fineness thresholds:

• Gold: .995 (24-karat equivalent)
• Silver: .999
• Platinum: .9995
• Palladium: .9995

The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 expanded the IRA precious metals rules to include qualifying foreign-mint coins meeting these standards. That is why the Canadian Maple Leaf, Austrian Philharmonic, and Australian Kangaroo became IRA-eligible starting in 1998, even though several had been minted for years before that.

Bullion bars from LBMA Good Delivery-accredited or NYMEX/COMEX-approved refiners are a third category and are covered briefly after the coin tables below.

IRS-Approved Gold Coins: Complete Table

Minimum fineness for gold: .995. Statutory exception: American Gold Eagle at .9167 (22-karat), specifically named in IRC §408(m)(3)(A).

Sources: United States Mint product catalog; Royal Canadian Mint; Perth Mint (Australia); Austrian Mint; Royal Mint (UK); Banco de México; IRC §408(m)(3) text via Cornell Law LII. Fineness data as of 2026-05.

IRS-Approved Silver Coins: Complete Table

Minimum fineness for silver: .999. The American Silver Eagle is the most widely held IRA silver coin in the US market.

Sources: US Mint; Royal Canadian Mint; Perth Mint; Austrian Mint; Royal Mint (UK). Data as of 2026-05.

IRS-Approved Platinum Coins: Complete Table

Minimum fineness for platinum: .9995. The American Platinum Eagle is the only platinum coin named directly in the statute; all others qualify under the general fineness rule.

Sources: US Mint; Royal Canadian Mint; Perth Mint; IRC §408(m)(3)(A). Data as of 2026-05.

IRS-Approved Palladium Coins: Complete Table

Minimum fineness for palladium: .9995. Palladium was added to the IRA precious metals list by the PATH Act of 2015 (effective January 1, 2016). It is the smallest and newest of the four eligible metal categories.

Sources: US Mint; Royal Canadian Mint; Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-113. Data as of 2026-05.

Coins and Metal Products That Do NOT Qualify

Misidentifying ineligible coins as IRA-qualified is one of the costlier mistakes in precious metals retirement planning. The following products are among the most commonly confused.

IRS-Approved Bullion Bars: A Brief Overview

Beyond coins, self-directed IRAs can hold bullion bars from refiners approved by a recognized commodity exchange. The governing standard for gold bars is LBMA Good Delivery accreditation or NYMEX/COMEX-approved refiner status.

Minimum fineness for bars mirrors the coin thresholds: .995 for gold.999 for silver.9995 for platinum.9995 for palladium. Common refiner names accepted by US IRA custodians include PAMP Suisse, Valcambi, Heraeus, Argor-Heraeus, the Royal Canadian Mint, and the Perth Mint.

Each bar must retain its original sealed packaging (assay card or vacuum seal) with the refiner’s mark, serial number, weight, and fineness clearly visible. Bars removed from sealed packaging may not be accepted by depository.

Bullion vs. Proof Coins: What the Difference Means for Your IRA

Most coins in the tables above come in two versions: bullion and proof. The distinction matters for IRA investors because it directly affects cost and long-term value.

Bullion coins are mass-produced for investors. They have a standard struck or polished finish, trade in high volumes, and sell at modest premiums over spot metal price (typically 3% to 8% above spot for the most popular coins). When you buy a bullion coin, you are primarily paying for the weight of metal inside it.

Proof coins are struck for collectors. Dies are polished to a mirror finish, each coin is struck at least twice to bring up sharp relief on the design, mintage runs are limited, and coins are shipped in presentation cases with certificates. Proof coins sell at premiums of 15% to 50% or higher above spot. When you buy a proof coin, you are paying for both the metal content and the collector packaging.

Both versions are IRA-eligible for the coins listed in this guide. The strategic question for a retirement-focused investor is whether paying the collector premium makes sense when the goal is metal exposure in a tax-deferred account. If you eventually take an in-kind distribution or sell the metals from the IRA, the buyer typically pays closer to spot for the metal content, not the original collector premium. You can lose the premium gap at liquidation.

Augusta Precious Metals educates clients on this distinction as part of their onboarding process, and their materials explicitly present bullion as the straightforward choice for IRA metal exposure. See our full Augusta Precious Metals review for more on their product approach and client process.

For guidance specific to your account size and situation, consult a licensed financial advisor. Past performance of any metal is not a guarantee of future results.

How IRS-Approved Coins Enter a Self-Directed IRA

Purchasing eligible coins for an IRA is not the same as buying them at a coin shop and storing them yourself. The IRS rules for self-directed precious metals IRAs require a specific custody chain.

1. Open a self-directed IRA through an IRS-approved custodian. A standard brokerage IRA holds stocks and bonds; it does not hold physical metals. You need a custodian specifically authorized for alternative assets, including precious metals.
2. Fund the account via a new contribution, a rollover from a 401(k), 403(b), or similar eligible plan, or a transfer from an existing IRA. The tax treatment of rollovers and transfers depends on how they are executed. A direct rollover avoids a taxable event; an indirect rollover (where you receive the funds first) must be completed within 60 days to avoid taxes and penalties. Consult your tax advisor on the mechanics specific to your situation.
3. Direct your custodian to purchase specific IRA-eligible coins from an approved precious metals dealer. The custodian places the order and title transfers to the IRA (not to you personally).
4. Metals ship directly to an IRS-approved depository. The dealer ships to the depository, not to you. Taking personal possession of IRA-held metals before a qualifying distribution is a prohibited transaction under IRC §408(m). The IRS treats home storage IRA arrangements as distributions, triggering ordinary income tax and a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you are under age 59½. FINRA has issued alerts warning investors about misleading home storage IRA marketing.
5. Depository stores the metals in your name. You can choose segregated storage (your specific coins kept in a separate compartment identified to your account) or commingled storage (your metals pooled with other clients’ metals of the same type and fineness). Segregated storage typically costs more but provides certainty about which exact coins are yours.

For a comparison of companies that facilitate this process, see our overview of the gold IRA company directory, which covers 111 companies with verified user reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

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