UK Silver Bars Overview
For those looking to invest in precious metals, silver bars may represent an excellent value and good choice. Silver bars come in numerous shapes and sizes, making silver ownership possible for small investors and those on a tight budget while also allowing larger investors to purchase more ounces per transaction or to buy in bulk. Silver bars are produced by a number of mints and fabricators, and come in two types: minted bars and cast bars. The UK produces a number of silver bars that can make an excellent addition to any portfolio or collection.
The Royal Mint produces several silver bars that may provide an excellent value. The Royal Mint is reportedly the world’s leading export mint. The mint produces both coins and medals for some 60 countries each year. Its primary responsibility, however, is to produce and distribute UK silver coins and to supply blanks and official medals.
The Royal Mint was opened by the Queen in 1968 to prepare for the introduction of decimal coinage. The mint is recognized all over the world for its quality and craftsmanship, as well as its innovation and state-of-the-art technology.
The Royal Mint produces three silver bars in varying weights. The mint produces both a 1 kilo and 500 gram cast silver bar. These silver bars feature The Royal Mint logo as well as inscriptions of the bar’s weight, purity, production year and serial number. The mint also produces a smaller, minted silver bar of 100 grams. All of these silver bars are produced with .999 percent fine silver.
The two larger cast bars have a very different appearance from the minted bar. Cast bars are produced by pouring liquid silver into a mold, and then allowing it to cool before engraving the bar with the desired markings. A minted bar, on the other hand, is produced by taking a blank bar and stamping it. Cast bars, due to the way they are produced, have an aged and rustic appearance.Adding to the appeal of cast bars for some investors is the fact that no two cast bars are exactly the same. Minted bars have a much cleaner appearance, with greater shine and a sleeker overall look.
UK silver bars in these larger weights and sizes may potentially provide an excellent value for investors. Due to their larger silver content, they may potentially offer a per-ounce cost savings compared to smaller silver bars. Cast bars in particular may offer a possible cost savings, as these bars are relatively less expensive for fabricators to produce and those savings may be passed on to customers.
Silver bars can be easily stacked and are easily transported. UK silver bars may be stored in a home safe, a bank safe deposit box or in the depository of your choice. If you are looking to buy as many total ounces of silver as possible, UK cast and minted silver bars may be a great choice.