Silver Coins

Not to be outdone are silver coins. Silver has long been used as a form of money - being cheaper and more abundant than gold, it has been mined and minted into coinage by the tons. US Silver Eagles, Canadian Silver Maple Leafs, Chinese Pandas, Mexican Libertards, and Australian Silver Kookaburras form some of the readily available silver coins for investors and collectors.

The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States. It was first released by the United States Mint in 1986. It is struck only in the 1 troy oz denomination which has a face value of one dollar and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of .999 pure silver. It is authorized by the United States Congress and is backed by the United States Mint for weight and content. The American Silver Eagle bullion coin may be used to fund Individual Retirement Account investments. The United States Mint also produces a proof version for coin collectors. Recently minted, uncirculated Silver Eagles currently sell for approximately US$12.

The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf - the most recognized of all Canadian emblems - beautifully adorns this brilliant 99.99% pure silver coin. These legal tender coins carry a $5.00 face value and were first minted in 1988. Silver Maple Leafs are about the same size of a silver-dollar coin and are popular with both collectors and investors around the world.

Some of the other silver bullion coins available to investors and collectors include Australian Kookaburras, Chinese lunar silver coins, Silver Pandas, and Mexican Libertards. Pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver coins (and pre-1968 Canadian 80% silver coins), which were used as money until the mid-1960s are also popular with silver investors as a cheap way of accumulating the metal.


RESOURCES:


WWW.BESTCOIN.COM
WWW.COINS.ABOUT.COM
WWW.ECOIN.COM
WWW.COINMAG.COM
WWW.ENCARTA.MSN.COM
WWW.GOLDCOINSHOP.COM