Silver Rounds

Silver Bullion Rounds

Silver rounds can be an excellent choice for someone looking to buy bullion in smaller quantities and for reasonable prices. Silver rounds look quite similar to silver coins, though there are some pretty big differences between the two. Silver rounds do not have any legal tender value. In addition, because silver rounds are not good, legal tender, they are not produced by governments but rather by private mints. For investors looking to accumulate ounces of silver bullion, silver rounds can be used in addition to or in place of silver bars. It typically comes down to how many ounces one may be looking to get and their personal preference.

Types of Silver Rounds

Silver rounds come in many different designs, variations and sizes. The designs for silver rounds can range from quite simple with merely a mint-mark with the weight and purity stamp to very finely detailed pieces. Some examples of popular silver rounds include the Sunshine Mint 1 ounce silver round, the OPM 1 ounce silver round and the NTR 1 ounce buffalo silver round. Silver rounds are often made for commemoration purposes, and hence may have some degree of collectability to them.

Commemorative Silver Rounds

One of the most popular variations of silver rounds are those which commemorate historically significant events, old coinage or important political figures. Many private mints re-create old US coins which are no longer produced. A good example of this are items like the Highland Mint’s Morgan and Walking Liberty Silver Round. These two rounds are designed to look like the US Morgan Silver Dollar and the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, respectively. Privately minted bullion rounds, such as these, are highly sought out by both collectors of rare coins and precious metal investors because of their aesthetic appeal and lower cost per ounce than the original coins.

Bullion Silver Rounds

Another very popular type of silver round are the bullion rounds. These rounds are fairly bare and lack the fine details of their commemorative counterparts. Most bullion rounds feature merely a makers mark, the purity and weight of the round. Because of their low cost and plain designs, bullion rounds are often purchased by those who are buying strictly for their silver content. Some of the most common plain bullion rounds are the 1 oz OPM Silver Round and the 1 oz Sunshine Silver Round.

Proof Silver Rounds

Some silver rounds are also manufactured in proof form as special editions or commemorative issues. These proof rounds are struck multiple times and therefore have a shinier and often mirror-like finish. Premiums for proof rounds are significantly higher, and can be several dollars or more above the spot silver price depending on their design and desirability.

Who Makes Silver Rounds?

Since the production of silver rounds is not controlled by a country’s government, they are more widely produced by private mints located in all parts of the world. Some of the more well-known manufacturers of silver rounds includes but is not limited to: Ohio Precious Metals, Sunshine Mint, Silvertowne, NTR Metals, Republic Metals Corp, the Highland Mint and Engelhard.

Silver Round Sizes

Silver rounds are most often made in the standard one ounce size. These tend to be the most popular silver rounds on the market. That being said, silver rounds are also available in fractional sizes. One can purchase silver rounds in 1/10, 1/4, and 1/2 ounce sizes, as well. On the other side of the standard 1 ounce round, some silver rounds come in larger sizes such as 2 oz, 5 oz, and 10 oz. The various sizes of silver rounds available make them a very good choice for silver buyers big and small. Silver rounds are typically minted in .999 percent pure silver

How are Silver Rounds Priced?

Silver rounds carry very reasonable prices above the spot silver price. Although different rounds may be more expensive based on the manufacturer, amount of detail and other mintage factors, the price for silver rounds generally stays competitive to that of bullion bars.

Storing and Stacking Silver Rounds

One aspect of purchasing silver rounds which is often overlooked is the fact that they are very easy to store and stack. Because they are all the same shape and size, they can be neatly stored atop one another in a home safe or other secure storage locations. Many rounds come in plastic tubes of 20 which makes for even easier storage and serves as a measure of protection to their condition. Silver.com offers a wide selection of both commemorative and bullion silver rounds which we invite you to look over.