For silver investors, the 100g bullion bar is a very popular choice. Bars in this weight are supplied by silver refineries all over the world, meeting steady demand in what has long remained a liquid market.
Why Choose 100g Silver Bars?
A 100g silver bar weighs 3.215 troy ounces. At this weight, investors are often buying silver at a lower premium over spot price than they would when purchasing the more common 1 oz silver coins or bars, for example.
Bar weights can range from as low as 5g up to 1kg or even higher in some cases. (The COMEX standard 1,000 oz silver bar is sometimes available for retail sale.) The 100g bar is a highly convenient weight allowing for a lower entry price than a larger size while at the same time representing a significant investment in physical silver.
Additionally, you’ll find that the value of bars tends to remain more stable than that of coins which are subject to collector-driven aftermarket price fluctuations unrelated to the value of silver itself. All in all, buying silver bars is an imminently practical way for investors to gain investment in silver.
Examples of 100g Silver Bars
Swiss refiner Valcambi produces a 100g silver bar struck in 0.999 fine silver. Each bar ships in a protective blister pack. The obverse side of the bar shows the Valcambi logo on a flat silver surface with weight and purity information inscribed in raised lettering along with the official stamp of the refiner “Essayeur Fondeur.” The reverse side shows the Valcambi Suisse name printed in large font across a stylish repeating square pattern. These bars are minted rather than cast, resulting in an even finish with symmetrical proportions. Minted bars are more expensive to produce and often have a better resale value.
Metalor, on the other hand, produces a cast bar with a more uneven finish. As with Valcambi, the bar comprises 99.9% silver. Weight, purity, and a serial number are stamped into the obverse side of the bar along with the refiner’s name and its Essayeur Fondeur marking. These bars come with an assay card which verifies this information in clear lettering.
In addition, several private refiners create larger silver bars in a wide variety of finishes: industrial poured bars, cast, stamped bars, and the best-looking polished and finished bars often called “minted.” Regardless of appearance, you’ll know you’re getting what you paid for.
Why Invest in Physical Silver?
Buying silver bars is entirely distinct from simply investing in digital silver products or derivatives online. Unlike futures or “paper-based” silver, physical silver cannot be hacked or lost within a computer system. It is not subject to the “tracking errors” that often occur when the price of paper-based silver decouples from its spot price during trading and somehow always seems to result in losses.
Storing your own silver affords you more privacy, as you can even choose to store it in your own home. Doing this, of course, allows you to handle your assets yourself. There’s something to be said for feeling the weight of your silver in your hands, an experience that purchasing intangible assets can never replicate. Furthermore, you can choose an even more private storage method, like the pirates did: simply hiding or burying your silver where only you know about it makes theft a much less likely risk. (Having said that, we’re not in the business of offering financial advice and do not condone piracy.)
Silver is one of the oldest forms of money in the world, and people have been buying and storing it for thousands of years. Today, it serves as an excellent hedge against cash inflation, a growing issue in the wake of the Quantitative Easing money-printing frenzy that has followed the COVID-19 crisis. Silver is typically uncorrelated from the stock market and often negatively correlated with cash inflation, allowing you to create a well-rounded and balanced investment portfolio.
