Silver Rounds

Silver is one of the oldest commodities traded around the world. Communities have used versions of silver coins and rounds to trade with one another for thousands of years. In fact, the Ancient Egyptians held silver in such high esteem that it was considered more valuable than gold itself! While gold and platinum have shine that can’t be matched, the appeal of silver comes from its steady rise in price. Over the past six decades, the silver bullion industry has blossomed from a small niche market to one of the biggest asset industries in the entire world. 

Silver bars and coins are two of the most popular ways for investors to spend money on silver. Silver coins come with some of the best designs in the bullion industry. Federal governments spend good money to create valuable art to inscribe on their most popular silver coins. Hero Bullion offers many of the most anticipated yearly release silver coins available, including the American Silver Eagle Coin and the Canadian Silver Maple. Silver bars are valued by collectors both for their design and the pure silver content they offer. 

Silver rounds, however, sometimes offer the best of both worlds. The difference between a silver coin and a silver round may seem complex, but it’s actually relatively simple. Silver rounds are produced by non-government mints, while silver coins can only be minted by sovereign governments. Silver coins often have face values and can be used as currency, although most collectors would never dare to spend their precious bullion coins at the local grocery store. 

While silver rounds do not have any face value or government backing, they often feature more wild and interesting designs than traditional silver coins. The same is true with gold and platinum rounds. Governments can afford to put quite a bit of money into developing famous and exciting yearly designs, but the nature of the government minting process generally means a limited number of new coin designs will be released each year. 

Silver rounds are usually minted with a high purity and with exceptional unique designs. At Hero Bullion, you’ll find a long list of exciting silver bullion rounds from multiple countries and cultures. How much silver is in most silver rounds? What are the best silver rounds to buy? Are silver rounds a good deal? Keep reading for an introduction into the bullion category of silver rounds. 

History of Silver Rounds

People who don’t understand the torrid history of silver might think that it’s just another boring asset. Silver’s function in most modern investment portfolios is generally boring. Many investors use silver and gold bullion as a counterweight to riskier investments. This strategy is popular for several reasons. The most important motivator for why so many people invest in silver and gold is that these commodities are generally “safer” than some investments. While stocks and cryptocurrencies are volatile and depend on a number of factors, the value of silver is most commonly linked directly to supply and demand of the precious metal. 

While silver is certainly an non-volatile investment in one sense, the history of the asset has been anything but safe and secure. The first silver was likely mined sometime around 3,000 BC, according to most historians. Like we explained at the top of this guide, Ancient communities frequently used silver to trade for goods and services. In Ancient Athens, coins were primarily made of silver. Some politicians in Ancient Greece were even accused of manipulating the silver market for profit! 

In the mid-1800s, modern interest in silver as we know it began to take shape. The discovery of the Comstock and Coeur d’Alene Silver Lodes were two particularly big moments in the history of silver discoveries. The Comstock Lode was especially notable because it marked the start of the “American Silver Rush.” The American government’s interest in silver was short-lived, however. In 1934, the United States government banned private silver holdings and confiscated all silver from citizens. This caused a global shortage of silver, which lasted for decades. 

Eventually, government restrictions on silver holdings relaxed, and the U.S. Mint began once again producing its classic silver coins. The American Silver Eagle Coin was introduced for the first time in 1985, and the piece has since become a staple of global silver coin collection. 

In a general sense, the history of silver rounds mirrors the history of the precious metal itself. The term “silver round” refers to any vaguely circular silver piece that is not backed by an official government. Private mints and investors have struck designs into their silver for generations, and the industry has exploded in popularity in the past few decades. 

Benefits of Buying Silver Bullion Rounds

You’ll find that many of the benefits of silver bullion rounds are similar to the advantages of buying any silver product. Because silver rounds closely mirror silver coins in structure, their benefits are often the same. However, there are a number of benefits to rounds specifically that might appeal to collectors. For example, silver bullion rounds are often designed with unique art that you won’t find on traditional silver coins produced by national banks and mints. 

There are certainly also downsides to buying silver rounds. One main concern is that, because these silver products are crafted by private mints, it’s hard to ensure that they have the same design and purity standards often attributed to coins. Government mints are almost invariably well-established, both in reputation and history. Silver rounds might simply not have the uniformly intricate designs and recognizable art of popular silver coins. 

Here’s a list of some of the biggest benefits to buying silver rounds: 

• Counterweight to inflation/risk. Two of the main risks associated with investment in traditional assets are volatility and inflation. Silver is a relatively low-risk investment with a solid long-term outlook, making it an excellent counter to riskier investment options. Holding silver is also a fantastic way to avoid the loss in buying value that results from inflation. Some of the most brilliant investment experts in the world recommend investing in silver as a counterweight to riskier investments, including cryptocurrency and penny stocks. 

• Collectible value. Despite the fact that silver rounds are not minted by sovereign governments, they still retain significant collectable value. Many silver rounds distributed by Hero Bullion include unique and exciting designs. Seasonal silver pieces are often rounds, and pieces like the Infinity High Relief Silver Round are sure to make an impression on any collector. 
• Low Premium. In this sense, collectable silver rounds are a good cross between silver coins and bars. Bars offer the lowest premiums in the market, but silver coins are prized for their collectability and unique designs. Silver rounds offer the intricate detail and collectable value of silver coins without the high premium they usually require. 

The big disadvantage of silver rounds is: 

• Lower production value. Don’t get us wrong; many collectable silver rounds are produced in high quality by reputable private mints. But when we compare silver coins to silver rounds, the coins are almost invariably more intricately designed. The production value is just higher when you’re buying from a government-backed mint than when you’re buying from a private bullion manufacturer. 

Popular Silver Rounds

Because silver rounds can be produced by both private and public mints, there is an extremely wide variety of different manufacturers distributing high-quality silver rounds. The Scottsdale Mint, the PAMP Suisse, the Sunshine Mint, and the Valcambi Mint are all popular producers of silver rounds, as well as coins and bars. Hero Bullion offers a long list of different silver bullion rounds. Our rounds are available from mints around the world, and we offer them at the most competitive prices and lowest premiums possible. 

We encourage consumers to look around our full catalogue to get a better idea of all that Hero Bullion offers. Read on for brief explanations of some of the most popular silver rounds that we sell: 

• Incuse Indian 1 Oz Silver Round. Created by the reputable Golden State Mint, the 1 Oz Incuse Indian 1 Oz Silver Round is one of the most visually appealing silver rounds we offer. On its face, an Incuse Native American wears a traditional headdress and gazes off into the distance. The reverse side pays homage to the United States and its proud history; it features an American Bald Eagle perched atop a resting arrow. This round is made of .999 pure silver, merging investment value with aesthetic appeal. 

• Asahi 1 Oz Silver Round. Minted using .999 fine silver, Asahi’s 1 ounce round perfectly demonstrates their commitment to simple elegance in all of their bullion product designs. The obverse side simply includes the Asahi Logo and name, as well as the weight, material, and purity of the piece. The reverse of this silver round includes the logo as well; it repeats on this side and is struck with a particularly reflective finish. While the Asahi 1 Oz Silver Round isn’t made to dazzle collectors with an impressive and intricate design, its simplicity nevertheless makes it a popular method of investment. 

• Any Mint, Any Condition 1 Oz Silver Round. If you struggle to make up your mind about which mint to buy from, our AMAC 1 Oz Silver Rounds are an excellent choice. We cannot guarantee that your rounds will come from any specific mint, and they can arrive in various possible conditions. This is an extremely cost effective way to invest in silver, although investors who have a better idea of their visual collectable preferences should consider buying from a specific mint. 

Silver Coins Vs. Silver Rounds

The main difference between silver rounds and coins is that silver rounds are generally not made by government mints. Private mints create the vast majority of silver round products. This doesn’t mean that silver rounds are never produced by government mints. In fact, this is one common misconception about these two similar bullion product types. Government-minted silver rounds can be extremely valuable, considering that they merge the production value of government products with the lower premium costs of silver rounds. 

Silver rounds also don’t have the government backing of coins. This means that your gold, silver, and platinum rounds will have no inherent face value. The worth of these pieces generally comes almost exclusively from their silver content and collectable value. For some collector’s, this signals a bit of a problem, as coins that come from government-backed mints do offer an additional level of assured quality. But for most coin collectors who prefer silver rounds, the greater variety of designs is worth the absence of a definitive face value. Besides, all collectable bullion coins are worth more than their face value. 

Are Silver Rounds Worth It? 

Silver rounds are very likely worth the money. There are advantages and disadvantages to every silver product category, and silver rounds are no exception. Some bullion collectors insist that it’s better to invest in government-backed coins, which offer greater levels of production value and are supported by sovereign national governments. However, most collectors also know that there are several unique benefits associated with silver rounds. For example, silver rounds offer a lower premium than most coins, as well as a wider variety of different designs. 

Any Mint, Any Condition Silver Rounds, the Asahi 1 Oz Silver Round, and the Incuse Indian 1 Oz Silver Round are just a few examples of the high-quality designs and models offered by Hero Bullion. We sell silver, gold, and platinum rounds from private and public mints all over the world. 

Invest with Hero Bullion

We have worked hard to develop the most safe and secure shipping processes in the industry. Our shipping process ensures that your silver rounds arrive without any kind of scuffs or damages. This promise extends to all of our bullion products, because we understand that high quality bullion requires a high quality shipping process. Please contact us if you have any questions about silver rounds or the bullion purchasing process; we’d be happy to help you buy whichever product you have your eyes on.