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One method of investing in silver is with government issued bullion coins. The official silver bullion coin of the United States is the American Silver Eagle. These coins are guaranteed by the US government for silver content and sold through a network of authorized dealers. Each coin contains one ounce of silver. The price for Silver Eagles usually consists of the cost of silver plus a premium to cover the cost of manufacture, distribution, government, and dealer profit margins.

A second method for investing in silver is with silver rounds. These are privately minted one ounce silver usually in the shape of a coin, although sometime minted in the shape of a miniature bar. These silver rounds carry various designs and can sometimes be minted with custom designs. Premiums are usually lower since these are minted privately and are not legal tender. The value of silver rounds is mostly that of the silver content.

Junk silver presents another silver investment option. Before 1965, some United States circulating coins were minted in 90% silver. Bags of $1,000 face value pre-1965 coins with little collectible value can be purchased as junk silver. This $1,000 face value bag will have about 715 ounces of pure silver. This is an interesting method of investing in silver since you are getting old United States coins. Although unlikely, it may contain collectible coins. Each coin also remains legal tender for the face value.

Another method of investing in silver is with 100 ounce silver bars or 1,000 ounce silver bars. Since the bars are not minted into individual coins and are a bulk purchase, premiums are traditionally lower than other methods. Silver bars are produced by certain manufacturers such as Engelhard or Johnson Matthey. They can be purchased from bullion dealers or other marketplaces.

A final potential method is with a Silver Electronically Traded Fund. This type of investment is traded like a stock and can be purchased from a broker. Each share in the ETF will represent a certain amount of silver held in a trust less custodial expenses. As shares of the ETF are purchased or redeemed, the trust buys or sells physical silver. In theory, the price of the ETF should track the underlying market price of silver.

Coin Collecting is a challenging, fun and interesting hobby. It has been called the hobby of kings since only the extremely high could afford to collect coins. In modern times, it is actually the most popular hobby in the United States and is accessible to all people.

The heart of collecting coins is having fun. How someone assembles their collection is completely up to them. It can be acquired simply by searching through pocket change at the end of the day. A faster, but still affordable method is to search rolls acquired at a bank for face value. An agreeable method might be to trade with other fellow coin collectors. More advanced methods include purchasing coins from coin dealers or at coin auctions.

There are a number of common types of collections that most people seem to fall under. The first is collecting coins by country. A collector might seek to acquire a coin issued by every country or a particular group of countries. This is a favorite of travelers and also traders since it is common to trade coins with people in other countries.

Another method of collecting is to try to assemble each year and mint mark for a particular series. This method became more popular after coin boards made their appearance early in the 1900’s. Coin boards include a slot for each separate date and mint mark combination. Collectors will attempt to find an example of each and place it into the board. In modern times, the coin board has been replaced by special coin albums.

Collectors may also seek to assemble coin collections by type. This entails find one of each different type of coin, based on denomination and design, for a single country. This can be a very interesting and rewarding experience to have a complete assemblage of the coinage from one country’s entire history.