Did you know that there’s an estimated 530,000 tons of silver reserves in the world? Or that around 40% of silver is used in jewelry, bars, and coins? As the global demand for and interest in silver, gold, and other precious metals continues to grow, it’s important that the average investor thinks carefully about how they want to participate in this age-old market. 

Silver coins and bars have been used for thousands of years to exchange goods and services. Silver is one of the first metals that mankind ever discovered, and it’s been recognized as a valuable store of value since the start of the world’s first societies. For investors who are disinterested in the high premiums associated with silver coins, silver bars might be the perfect way to invest in this precious metal. 

Also known as silver ingots, silver bars are a popular way of collecting and trading silver. Bullion bars exist for silver, gold, and even platinum! Mints all over the world create extremely pure silver bars, and they’re often sold at a minimal premium. Most silver bars should be priced relatively closely to the spot price of the metal they contain. One big advantage of purchasing bullion in bar format is the wide variety of available sizes. Mints often strike 1 ounce, 5, ounce, 10 ounce, and even 100 ounce silver bars. Some companies, including Hero Bullion, offer even smaller denominations for investors who want to buy a very minimal amount of silver. 

Hero Bullion provides its customers with an extended selection of different silver bar products. From pure silver grain to brilliant 100 ounce silver bars, we’ve got you covered. But we also understand that it can sometimes be hard to find the perfect silver bar to invest in. Whether you’re buying for yourself or as a gift, helping you find the perfect silver bar is our top priority. Keep reading for an in-depth look into the history, appeal, and variety associated with Hero Bullion’s silver bars. 

History of Silver Bars

Silver bars have been long considered the primary way to invest in silver bullion as a commodity. We’ve covered the history of silver itself a few times in the past. Silver coins are likely much older than silver bars, considering that silver has been used as a currency far longer than it has been collected as a standalone investment. 

The Ancient Greeks and Romans both struck coins using silver bullion. In Ancient Greece, regulating the price of silver to avoid currency inflation was a major issue. Political controversies often resulted when Greccian leaders failed to prevent inflation, manipulation, or counterfeiting. Even before the rise of these empires, primitive cultures have often used silver to conduct trade. Ancient Egyptians considered silver to be rarer than gold, in part because they had not yet come up with an effective extraction process for silver like that had for gold. 

The modern history of silver investment is surprisingly recent, but relatively controversial. William and Nelson Hunt were two investors who began the market for speculative silver investment that we know today. Two sons of an oil billionaire, they decided to leverage their assets in order to buy a massive 100,000,000 Troy Ounces of pures silver. On its own, such a massive purchase caused a spike in the price of silver. 

Obviously, this was a problem for the many industries that make use of silver bullion. The jewelry industry was hit particularly hard from this unprecedented price spike. One jewelry company even decided to display an advertisement in the New York Times, admonishing the two brothers for single-handedly forcing them to “pay artificially high prices” for the silver that their business requires. 

The price of silver eventually fell once again when the U.S. government intervened to prevent the Hunt brothers from cornering the market and creating a monopoly on the price of silver. But the genie was already out of the bottle; millions of investors had been introduced to the possibility of using silver as an investment. For savvy investors, silver became particularly useful as a way to hedge against inflation. The precious metal’s limited supply has made it an excellent choice for people who are unsure about the stability and future value of the United States Dollar. 

The price for silver bars and bullion remained stable for many years, until Warren Buffet’s unusual 1997 decision to buy around 3,500 tons of silver caused the price to jump again. Buffett’s intervention was a powerful sentiment shifter for the silver market; he had already been a major institutional voice as an investment powerhouse. By expressing his belief in silver, investors all over the world got the message: silver is here to stay. 

Another silver rally happened in 2011, when controversy surrounding the U.S. federal debt cast doubt on the stability of our national currency. Investors rushed to convert their United States Dollars to silver in order to avoid what they viewed as a potential collapse. The price of silver spiked to around $49.80 in 2011 as a result of this bull run. 

Silver is considered a more volatile commodity than gold, due in no small part to its history of massive price fluctuations. But silver’s price has been on the rise nevertheless in the past couple of decades, and some major investors still consider it to be a premier way to counter the effects of inflation and amass capital during times of economic uncertainty. If you’re interested in collecting silver bars for investment purposes, it’s important that you develop a sophisticated understanding of the historical ups and downs associated with the valuable metal. 

Silver bars have become available to average investors only relatively recently. Prior to the past few decades, silver bars and ingots were only really produced in massive sizes– and they were sold almost exclusively to large institutional investors. But the rise of speculative trading following the price booms of 1979 and 2011 led to a new class of silver investors. In 2021, Hero Bullion is excited to bring you high quality silver bars at affordable prices. 

Benefits of Buying Silver Bullion Bars

In some ways, silver bars allow investors to get the best of both worlds. Many contemporary silver bullion bars are struck with brilliant and beautiful designs, invoking the same aesthetic appeal we typically associate with silver coins and rounds. But if you’re looking to maximize the amount of silver you get for your money, silver bars generally also offer the most competitive rates. 

Silver bars are most often struck with either .999 or .9999 fine silver. Both private and government mints produce silver ingots. And many of the most popular silver bars are sold at a much lower premium than silver coins, rounds, or novelty silver bullion products. Combining beauty with value, the silver bar is a relatively recent way for investors to amass silver as quickly and cost efficiently as possible. 

To recap, here’s a breakdown of some of the main benefits of buying and holding silver bars: 

• Design variety. Silver bars are being minted yearly by mints all over the world. This means a wide variety of beautiful designs on both the obverse and reverse of silver bars to choose from. Some investors choose to cut cost with simple designs, while others appreciate intricate designs, such as our Aztec Calendar 1 Oz Silver Bar. 

• Low premium. We often highlight that silver coins are sold at a high premium over the spot price of silver. The big advantage to silver bars is that they are usually sold as close to spot price as possible. It’s easy for investors to maximize the silver they get for their cash when buying silver bars. 
• Different sizes. We offer a wide variety of different silver bar weights. We even sell 10 ounces of .999 silver grain/shot! Silver bars used to be minted only in unmanageably large weights– but not anymore. Modern silver bars are made to be purchased by investors with varying amounts of capitol. 

Buying any precious metal comes with a few notable risks. The main downside to buying silver bullion bars: 

• Price volatility. Like we explained in the “history” section, silver is more volatile of an asset than gold. While certain silver products, such as coins and rounds, might appreciate in value because of their status as collectables, bullion bars are directly tied to the value of the metal they’re composed of. A solid investment portfolio of various precious metals can help to offset the volatility of silver bar investments. 

Popular Hero Bullion Silver Bars

Hero Bullion tries to bring consumers as many different options for purchasing silver bars as we can. Our selection is expansive; we urge would-be customers to browse our catalog to find the choices that are right for them. But if you’re wondering about the most popular silver bars we offer, keep reading! Here are a few of the most popular silver bars available from Hero Bullion: 

• Royal Canadian Mint 10 Oz Silver Bar. The Royal Canadian Mint has long been considered one of the premier mints. Their Canadian Silver Maple is a popular yearly release from the frigid country, but the mint’s silver bars are also excellent ways to turn your capital into bullion. The 10 Troy Ounce variant is particularly popular among our customer-base. The design is simple. The obverse shows off the seal of the Canadian Royal Mint, as well as the weight, purity  (.9999), and a unique mint number. The reverse shows the repeating symbol of the mint. 

• 10 Oz Silver Bar (Any Mint, Any Condition). If your goal is to buy silver at a minimal premium, our 10 Ounce Any Mint/Any Condition selection is tough to top. The weight and purity of the bar is guaranteed, and we can offer you a price closer to spot than you’ll find from any other silver bar we sell. These bars can come in a variety of conditions, which should matter little for investors interested in the pure bullion itself. 

• 10 Oz Buffalo Silver Bar. Investors who appreciate intricate designs are likely to fall in love with the Buffalo 10 Oz Silver Bar. It surely doesn’t compromise on value and purity; it’s struck with .999 pure silver and is sold at a low premium. But the hallmark of this design is the majestic buffalo, which stands on a field with mountains in the background. The artistic texture and high relief of the buffalo is really something special. While this bar might not offer the pure value of the AMAC silver bars above, it carries an additional collectible and aesthetic appeal which is tough to beat. 

• Royal Canadian Mint 100 Oz Silver Bar. This bar offers the guarantee of authenticity by the Canadian Royal Mint. As you’ve likely already guessed, this bar allows investors to cut the premium they pay per ounce down significantly. If you’re interested in buying silver as a long-term, secure investment, buying big really is the way to go. Its design remains simple, with an etching of the Canadian Royal Mint seal, the weight, material, and purity on the obverse, and nothing on the reverse. 

• JM 100 Oz Silver Bar. A private mint alternative to the Royal Canadian Mint’s 100 ounce bar, the JM 100 Oz Silver Bar is an even more effective way to maximize your savings while betting big on the future of silver. Its design is even more simply; the .999 purity, minting number, weight, and mint seal are on the obverse. The reverse is similarly blank. 

Purchase Silver Bars with Hero Bullion

Our promise to customers is to deliver all bullion products as securely as possible. Our silver bars are no exception. We work to ensure that your silver bars are as pure and authentic as possible, and we exercise the highest standards in our shipping process. Additionally, Hero Bullion works to provide our customers with a wide variety of different silver bars from different mints, weights, and purities. 

We hope you’ll consider starting a silver investment journey with us!