Silver Bullion Coins
Best-selling silver coins by renowned government mints
Silver is one of the most important precious metal commodities and has been used as money for millenia. Since silver is much more affordable than gold, platinum or palladium, it also gives smaller scale investors a chance to grow their assets by investing in precious metals. Many government mints throughout the world regularly issue silver bullion coins. For silver coins to be considered bullion, they must be at least 99.9% pure. A few contemporary silver bullion coins are even 99.99% pure. Some coins like the British Silver Britannias or the Chinese Silver Pandas were at first minted out of lesser purity silver but meet bullion standards now. Numismatic silver coins are still regularly minted out of sterling silver (92.5% purity) or even 90% silver though some numismatic silver coins also match the bullion standard for purity (for example the Two Dragons silver coin).
Silver bullion coins are available in sizes ranging from 1/40 oz up to 10 kg. However, whereas some coins are available in many different sizes like the Australian Silver Lunar coins, many other silver bullion coins are only minted in the single size of 1 oz. The coins are generally legal tender in the country that produces them but not all coins have an official face value. Their value is tied to the spot price of silver and exceeds any face value they might have by far. Precious metal dealers then add their premium on top of that. If you want to pay the lowest possible premium, you might also want to consider buying junk silver coins.
The silver coins that are listed on this page are mostly minted according to market demand. Mintage of some special versions of the coins can be capped however. That is generally the case for proof coins as well as gilded and colored silver coins that some mints produce. These rare coins are in high demand by collectors worldwide and are therefore more expensive. You would also have to pay an added premium for coins that were graded by the NGC or PCGS.
The coins listed on this page are produced by some of the most respected minting institutions in the world. The most commonly traded silver bullion coins are already mentioned here and additional coins will be added from time to time. Click on the provided links to buy these silver coins from respected dealers online, compare current prices or just simply find out more information.
American Silver Eagles
The US Mint started with the production of American Silver Eagle coins in 1986. The coins are minted out of 99.9% fine silver and are offered with brilliant uncirculated, proof (no proof coins in 2009) and burnished uncirculated (2006 - 2008 and since 2011) finishes. Whereas the gold version of the coins is minted in four different denominations, Silver Eagles exist only as 1 oz coins. Another unusual feature for bullion coins is that the silver coins bear a totally different design (on both sides!) than their gold counterparts. The obverse side of the coins uses Adolph A. Weinman's famous "Walking Liberty" design that depicts Lady Liberty in stride towards the rising sun. In 2021, a new reverse side design was introduced and some minor changes were made to the obverse side of the coins as well.
The American Silver Eagle page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
Austrian Silver Philharmonics
The Austrian Mint introduced the 1 oz Silver Philharmonics in 2008. The coins are struck out of 99.9% pure silver and have a face value of 1.50 Euros. Their diameter is identical to the Gold Philharmonic coins but they are a little thicker (3.2 mm). The design of the Austrian Silver Philharmonic coins is also identical to that of the gold coins. The silver coins have a smooth edge though. More than 54 million pieces of this silver bullion coin were sold between 2008 and 2012. The coins are sometimes also referred to as the Vienna Philharmonic silver coins because their name and design was chosen as a tribute to the world-renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Austrian Silver Philharmonic page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
Canadian Silver Maple Leafs
The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins are minted by the Royal Canadian Mint since 1988. The legal tender coins with a face value of CAD $ 5 have the same design as the gold version of the coins. Silver Maple Leafs are minted out of 99.99% pure silver whereas most other silver bullion coins are 'only' 99.9% pure. That is a major reason why the coins count among the most popular silver coins worldwide. Only one denomination of 1 oz is offered by the Royal Canadian Mint for now. The standard brilliant uncirculated finish has been upgraded in 2014 and includes radial lines from the coin's center as well as a micro-engraved laser mark since then.
The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
Australian Silver Kangaroos
The Perth Mint started minting the bullion version of the Australian Silver Kangaroo coins in 2015. The limited number of coins that were minted that year were 99.9% pure. Since 2016, the Australian Silver Kangaroos are 99.99% pure. The brilliant uncirculated version of the coins is only minted in the 1 oz size. Proof coins of 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz exist as part of a set but the 1/4 oz proof coins are also available individually. Whereas the Australian Gold Kangaroo coins depict a different kangaroo image on their reverse side every year, the same "Red Kangaroo" design is depicted on every annual bullion edition of the silver coins.
The Australian Silver Kangaroo page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
Australian Silver Lunar coins
The Perth Mint started with the 1st series of the Australian Silver Lunar coins in 1999. The 2nd series followed in 2008 (while the 1st series was still ongoing) and ended in 2019. The current 3rd series then started the following year. The silver coins are 99.99% pure since 2017 (99.9% pure previously). The design of the reverse side of the Perth Mint Lunar silver coins changes every year and always depicts the Chinese zodiac animal for that year of issuance. The displayed zodiac animal design is different from that on the gold version of the coins. Many different special editions are offered in addition to the brilliant uncirculated and proof versions and there is also a wide choice of different sizes between 1/2 oz and 10 kg.
The Australian Silver Lunar coin page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
Chinese Silver Pandas
The first Chinese Silver Panda coins were already minted in 1983, but they were only 90% pure and only available with a proof finish. The China Gold Coin Incorporation produces the coins in their current purity of 99.9% since 1989. The brilliant uncirculated 'bullion' version is currently only being offered in the denomination of 30 gram (1 oz until 2015). Proof coins exist in other sizes as well. Chinese Silver Pandas mostly bear the same design as the Chinese Gold Pandas that were issued the same year but there are some exceptions. There exist many special versions of the coins as well, for example gilded and colored coins as well as coins with special privy marks.
The Chinese Silver Panda page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
British Silver Britannias
The Royal Mint started issuing British Silver Britannia coins in 1997, but only as proofs at first. Brilliant uncirculated coins are minted since 1998. The coins were minted out of 95.8% fine silver until 2012. The silver purity was raised to 99.9% in 2013. Since then, brilliant uncirculated Silver Britannias are minted according to market demand without an annual maximum mintage. Just like the gold version, the coins display the standard design of a standing Britannia in most years. Proof coins display a different Britannia design each year since 2013. Many different denominations of the coins between 1/40 oz and 2 kg exist and some denominations are only available as proofs.
The British Silver Britannia page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
British Silver Lunar Coins
This gold and silver coin series that is known as the Shēngxiào Collection started in 2014 and is scheduled to end in 2025. The silver version of the coins is struck out of 99.9% fine silver. The reverse side of the coins changes each year, always depicting the Chinese zodiac animal for that year of issuance. The same depicted design also appears on that year's gold version of the coins. The Royal Mint currently issues the coins in the three denominations of 1 oz (both brilliant uncirculated and proof coins), 5 oz (only proof coins) and 1 kg (only proof coins). A gilded version of the coins also exist. Annual mintage numbers of the British Silver Lunar coins far exceed those of the gold version.
The British Silver Lunar page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
British Silver Queen's Beasts
The Royal Mint introduced the Queen's Beasts silver coins in 2016, just like the gold version of the coins. The design of the silver coins is identical to that of the gold coins and the first three coin designs displayed the Lion of England, the Griffin of Edward III and the Red Dragon of Wales in succession. The last two of a total of 11 issues of the British Silver Queen's Beasts came out in September 2020 (the "White Greyhound of Richmond" issue) and April 2021 (the "Completer Coin" that shows all ten beasts together). Brilliant uncirculated coins were minted according to market demand out of 99.99% fine silver in the two sizes of 2 oz and 10 oz. Proof coins of 99.9% purity were minted in the four sizes of 1 kg, 10 oz, 5 oz and 1 oz and their mintage numbers were capped.
The Silver Queen's Beast coin page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
Mexican Silver Libertads
The Mexican Silver Libertad coins are struck out of 99.9% fine silver since 1982 by the Casa de Moneda de México. The coins bear the same design of the Angel of Independence as the Mexican Gold Libertad coins. That design originated with the historic Mexican 50 Peso gold coins. Silver Libertads are issued in many different sizes ranging from 1/20 oz all the way up to 1 kg. The coins don't have an official face value but are nevertheless legal tender in Mexico. Brilliant uncirculated, proof, reverse proof and antiqued coins are available. Compared with other silver bullion coins, proof coins make up an unusually large share of the total mintage of the coins. Three types of finish exist for the 1 kg coins (brilliant uncirculated, proof-like and high relief proof-like).
The Mexican Silver Libertad page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
South African Silver Krugerrands
The South African Mint started issuing Krugerrand coins out of silver in 2017. These new silver bullion coins are 99.9% pure. Only premium uncirculated (with laser-etched designs) and proof 1 oz coins were offered that year and their mintage was capped at 1,000,000 and 15,000 pieces respectively. A brilliant uncirculated bullion version of the 1 oz coins is issued annually since 2018 and a 2 oz proof version was introduced in 2020. The South African Silver Krugerrands display the same design of Paul Kruger (obverse) and a springbok (reverse) as the best-selling Gold Krugerrands (which still are the most traded gold bullion coins worldwide). The silver version of the coins is a little bigger though, having a slightly larger diameter than the gold coins. A special "50 year anniversary" privy mark appeared on the reverse side of the 2017 issue of the coins. The 1 oz South African Silver Krugerrand coins have an official face value of 1 Rand whereas the gold version of the coins doesn't have an official face value.
The South African Silver Krugerrand page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.
information only without price comparison:
Canadian Call of the Wild Silver
The Royal Canadian Mint also produces 1/2 kg Call of the Wild silver coins with a highly detailed proof finish. They are of the same size - 85 x 11 mm - and just as detailed in design as the 1/2 kg gold proof version of the coins. The coins out of 99.99% pure silver have an official face value of CAD $ 125 and only 1,000 such silver coins were minted with the Howling Wolf design in 2014 and the Growling Cougar in 2015. Mintage of the 2016 coin with the Roaring Grizzly design was even more limited with just 600 pieces.
St. George and the Dragon silver coins
There are no official Silver Sovereigns. In 2013, the Royal Mint released silver coins (brilliant uncirculated) with the same design as the Sovereign coins though. These 1/2 oz "St. George and the Dragon" coins out of 99.9% silver have a face value of £ 20. The mintage limit of these legal tender coins was set at 250,000 pieces.
In addition to these silver bullion coins, the Royal Mint also produced 10,000 commemorative "St. George and the Dragon" £ 5 proof coins in 2013. These coins out of sterling silver (92.5% silver purity) were issued in order to commemorate the birth of Prince George in 2013.
The famous "St. George and the Dragon" design had also been used on British Silver Crown coins in the 1800's.
Chinese Silver Unicorns
The China Gold Coin Incorporation minted 99.9% pure Unicorn silver coins between 1994 and 1997 in the denominations of 20 oz (150 Yuan face value), 12 oz (100 Yuan), 5 oz (50 Yuan), 1 oz (10 Yuan) and 20 gram (5 Yuan). Only the 1 oz silver coins were minted in all four years. The 5 oz and 20 oz coins were minted the first three years, the 12 oz silver coins only in 1994 and 1995 and the 20 gram silver coins only in 1996 and 1997. All Chinese Silver Unicorns display images of two mythical beasts, a Unicorn on the obverse and a Chinese kirin on the reverse. Additionally, there were bimetallic Unicorn coins (1/4 oz inner gold core + 1/8 oz silver outer ring; face value of 25 Yuan) issued in 1994 and 1995.
Read our blog article for more information about these coins.