Silver Shines for Holiday Giving

Gold is great, but silver offers a beautiful way to show your affection without busting your budget. And at current silver prices, it’s a bargain, too.

Here are some ways to make this holiday season memorable with a gift of silver.

Old Silver Coins

The US removed silver from its circulating coins in 1965 when rising silver prices made the coins to costly to produce. Many of the silver coins were melted down for their bullion value, while others were hoarded or kept as collectibles.

Today 90% silver US coins are sold in heavily worn condition as “junk silver” and in good condition as collectible coins. Junk silver sells at a slight premium over its bullion value and is primarily intended as an investment in bullion.  Collectible coins are available in various grades, from heavily circulated to “mint condition” and are priced by condition and rarity. Some are quite affordable while others bring hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

Newer Silver Coins

In 1992, the U.S. Mint began producing collector sets of 90% silver dimes, quarters and half dollars. Since then the Mint has made silver coins to honor presidents and other historical figures and events. Proof sets, mint sets, and collector sets are available directly from the Mint for current years, and earlier sets are sold by private dealers. You can see the US Mint’s silver coin offerings and order them directly online from the US Mint website. Other coins and sets are available at local coin dealers and online.

Silver Bullion

This is silver at its purest. Usually assayed at 99% pure or higher, bullion is sold as coins (properly called “rounds” since they’re not official currency) or in bars as small as one gram up to 100 ounces or more. The US and other national mints offer a large selection of silver bullion “coins” that recreate historic coins. They’re not sold directly to the public; instead they’re sold to private bullion dealers who sell them in the secondary market. Bars, rounds, and novelty items are also sold by private mints. A perennial best-seller is a silver bullet, a one-ounce 99.9% fine silver reproduction of a Colt 45 automatic pistol cartridge. Other bullion bars and rounds are available in a variety of designs including historic, patriotic, and replica motifs. There are even Star Trek and Looney Tunes designs.

Gift-Giving Ideas

Silver coins are great ways to memorialize a special occasion like a birth year, marriage, or childbirth. Older coins are available in every year, and 20th century silver coins are very affordable.

Proof and mint sets are another way to commemorate special dates and events, both past and present.

Bullion coins, bars, and rounds have many sources and themes that can educate and bring back memories. Some, like $1 American Eagle silver bullion coins are even available in special holiday packaging.

And any gift of silver is a thoughtful way to show your affection in a way that’s not only memorable but will increase in value over time.