|
©GoldWhy.com
|
To the left is a picture of the obverse (front side) of my Winter 1973 one ounce silver art bar. Today,
I'm going to talk all about silver art bars and rounds. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am. The more
time I spend collecting precious metals and understanding the niches within precious metals investing and collecting,
the more amazing things I find. I started out investing in gold bullion coins and stocks. They are still the anchor
of my precious metals portfolio and I love them (yes, I am a true gold bug and always will be), but they have now acted
as just a starting point. The doors to so many new and exciting niches within the hobby have been opening and again I
must underscore that I am a true fan of silver art bars and rounds and see myself collecting and investing in
them for many years to come. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to silver art bars and rounds
in addition to displaying a gallery of my personal collection. It's small right now, but I plan to update this article
over time with pictures of my personal silver art bar collection, all high quality of course. NEW: When you're done
reading this article, make sure to check out my new
video of my silver art bar and round collection!
What Are Silver Art Bars?
As you can see from the
picture, silver art bars are rectangular silver bullion bars
that contain artwork on them. Each silver art bar is a little different and contains a different picture. The one on the left, for
example, contains a winter scene. It is part of a series of four different silver art bars that portray the different seasons of the
year. While I just have the winter one right now, I hope to collect all four over the years. Most silver art bars contain
one troy ounce of silver bullion, but again there is a lot of variety available among different bars.
The reverse side of silver art bars (see image to the right) typically show the mint which created the bar and the serial number.
In this particular case, Coin-A-Rama minted my bar and it's serial number is 02179. From my research, it seems that most silver
art bars are from the 70s and 80s. This particular one for example has it's date on the obverse: 1973. They were mostly produced
in limited quantities. I read somewhere that each of these seasons silver art bars was only minted 5,000 times. Moreover, many
silver art bars in general were melted for their silver bullion value during the high silver prices in the 80s. The quantity of
silver art bars that remain today from these series are unknown, but we do know they are certainly rare.
What Are Silver Art Bars Worth?
©GoldWhy.com
|
The price of silver art bars is driven by two main factors. The first is the raw silver bullion value. The minimum value of
a silver art bar is its raw silver bullion value (the current melt value of one troy ounce of silver bullion). The second driver of
price is the rarity of the silver art bar and its popularity within the collecting community. This factor is more of a wildcard and
is more difficult to interpret. Standard guides to exist that "price" these silver art bars, but at the end of the day the
price is only what the highest bidder is willing to pay. From my research, these price guides are rare because this is a niche hobby.
The most popular one is An Indexed Guide Book of Silver Art Bars by J. Archie Kidd and Steven M. Rood (5th edition). You may
want to check out Amazon or eBay to see if you can pick yourself up a copy. I personally intend to buy a copy myself, but first want
to collect some more silver art bars. Maybe after I own 10 or 20 art bars, I will venture out a try to buy a copy of this book. My
personal investing and collecting strategy for silver art bars is to mentally think of their value as their raw silver bullion melt
value and consider the premium above that money I am willing to pay for the beauty of the art on the bar. I like collecting stuff and
to me it's worth the extra money to own silver bullion that also has a bunch of really neat artwork. This is of course the minimum
value of the bar, but I am usually risk averse when mentally pricing the value of my bullion and collectibles.
Where Can I Buy Silver Art Bars?
©GoldWhy.com
|
When I type in "silver art bars" on Google, the first result is
River City Coins. I did quite a bit of research and
champion River City Coins to be the best source of silver art bars on the internet. It is the store with the most comprehensive
and diverse supply of art bars (and rounds), in addition to great prices. Honest people run this store and their customer service is
top notch. I ordered my winter 1973 silver art bar from River City Coins, in addition to my silver casino token round shown below. My
experience was very positive and I will be buying more silver art bars from them because I trust them. My order shipped very fast with
my art bar in a nice vinyl sleeve and my round also in a nice protective holder. Looking at
River City's about us page, you can see that they've been in business since 1985
and have a lot to offer. This is the epitome of the
reputable local coin shop. If you have been reading
my site for a while, you will know that I have given a lot of positive reviews. I have been very lucky in my great choice of people to do
business with, but must also say that I have had success because of the extensive research I do before spending my hard earned money. I
recommend checking out River City Coins for sure. Interested in purchasing silver art bars or rounds from River City Coins? Please
visit their website. Alternately, below is their contact information:
River City Coins & Jewelry
713 Broadway
Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701 USA
Phone: (573) 334-1108
Email: rvrcoins@swbell.net
What Are Silver Art Rounds?
Silver rounds are very similar to silver art bars, however they are round like coins. The best way to think of silver art rounds is
your typical one ounce silver bullion coin, but issued by private mints with artwork on them instead of government issue. I really like rounds
as well in addition to bars and have taken a particular liking to casino token rounds which were offered as special prizes in casino slot machines
(back in the good old days when they dispensed real coins instead of everything being electronic). These casino tokens however are a little different
than your typical silver art round because their silver content is less than one troy ounce and they also contain brass. The majority of silver
rounds are just like your standard
American Eagle Silver Coin, but issued by private mints with a diverse array of
specialty artwork.
I'm Still Learning About Silver Art Bars
I just started out collecting silver art bars and plan to learn a lot more. This is a fascinating niche within precious metals and coin collecting.
There is so much to learn and invite you to check out this hobby as well. It's perfect for someone interested in silver bullion with a unique
collection aspect as well. I will be updating this article in the future with more information as I learn more about the hobby. Moreover, I will
be uploading more images of my personal silver art bar and round collection below. Please enjoy!
Images of My Silver Art Bar and Round Collection
As you can tell, I'm really excited about silver art bars and rounds. Over the coming years, I hope
to collect quite a few of them around my personal interests. I have created two new pages that
contain images and information about my personal silver art bar and round collections. I will continue
to update these pages as I purchase more silver art bars and rounds.
My Personal Silver Art Bar Collection
My Personal Silver Round Collection
New: You may also want to check out pictures of my Johnson Matthey Silver Bar.
Buy Silver Art Bars on eBay
Related Gold & Silver Images
Return Home
Monex
Fiat Money
Zinc Bullion
Sunshine Mint
Tin Bullion Bar
1 Kilo Gold Bar
Silver Certificate
Brass Bullion Bar
Pile of Gold Coins
25 Box of Pennies
Gold Philharmonic
Silver Peace Dollar
Bronze Bullion Bars
Platinum Bullion Bar
Soda Can Coin Safe
Engelhard Silver Bar
Silver Chinese Panda
Stainless Steel Bullion
Gold American Buffalo
Half Ounce Krugerrand
Silver Eagle Money Clip
Tenth Ounce Gold Eagle
1 Kilo Silver Bullion Bars
Northwest Territorial Mint
Gold Coin Treasure Chest
PCGS Silver Morgan Dollar
Johnson Matthey Silver Bar
Fractional Gold Bullion Coins
Nickel Bullion Bars and Coins
One Ounce Gold Bullion Bars
Old US Gold and Silver Coins
Franklin Silver Half Dollar Coins
Quarter Ounce Gold Maple Leaf
20 Dollar St Gaudens Gold Coin
Barack Obama Collectible Coins
American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin
Large Pile of Copper Bullion Bars
Credit Suisse 1 Ounce Gold Bars
One Ounce Mexican Silver Coins
Aluminum Bullion Ingots and Bars
Tenth Ounce Chinese Gold Panda
Mint Tube of Silver American Eagles
American Eagle 22 Karat Gold Coins
Tenth Ounce Gold Australian Monkey
Canadian Maple Leaf 1 Oz Silver Coin
South African One Ounce Krugerrands
Canadian Maple Leaf 24 Karat Gold Coins
|
