All About
The brightest, most conductive metal on earth. Money for thousands of years, and the metal inside nearly every solar panel.
Pictured: a best seller from our silver shop.
Silver is money with a day job.
More than half of it goes into things you use every day: phones, cars, solar panels, mirrors, medicine. The rest becomes coins, bars and jewelry. No other metal lives both lives at once.
Get the highlights.
It’s inside nearly every solar panel.A fine grid of silver paste carries the current out of each solar cell. Solar has become one of the largest single uses of silver in the world.1
It paid for a navy.In 483 BC Athens struck a rich new vein at its Laurion mines and spent the silver on 200 warships. That fleet beat Persia at Salamis three years later.
It made the first global currency.Silver from Potosí’s Cerro Rico, found in 1545, filled the Spanish “piece of eight.” The coin was trusted from Manila to Boston and was legal tender in the United States until 1857.6
It made photography practical.Daguerre’s 1839 process fixed images on silver-plated copper, and for a century and a half film photography ran on light-sensitive silver salts.
Nothing shines brighter.Polished silver reflects more visible light than any other metal, and it conducts electricity and heat better than any other metal too.
It keeps things clean.Silver ions kill bacteria, so silver lines wound dressings, catheters and water filters. That may be the reason behind the old habit of silver spoons and cups.
Silver, measured.
Silver is mined in far greater quantities than gold and used up far faster, because so much of it disappears into the things industry makes.
per troy ounce, updated with the market through the day. A coin or bar costs a little more than spot, for refining, minting and handling. Every product page shows the live spot price next to yours. All live prices
million ounces of silver used worldwide in 2025.1
of that demand was industrial: 657 million ounces for solar cells, electronics, brazing and medicine.1
mined in 2025, most of it as a by-product of lead, zinc, copper and gold mines.1
year in a row that the world used more silver than mines and recycling supplied. The gap came out of vaults.1
more silver coins and bars bought in 2025 than the year before.1
ounces of silver buy one ounce of gold today (the gold-to-silver ratio).3 Over fifty years it has ranged from under 20 (in 1980) to over 120 (in 2020).
density: about half of gold’s, so an ounce of silver makes a noticeably bigger coin.
The story of silver.
For most of history, when people said “money” they meant silver. The word for money in French is still argent.
Silver wins a war.
Miners at Laurion, south of Athens, hit an unusually rich vein. Themistocles persuaded the city to spend the windfall on 200 warships instead of sharing it out. Three years later that fleet defeated Persia at Salamis. Athens’ silver “owls” became the trusted coin of the Greek world.
The Morgan dollar.
Pressed by western silver miners, Congress ordered the Treasury to buy silver and strike dollars. George T. Morgan’s Liberty dollar, holding 0.7734 ounces of silver, became the coin of the frontier and is one of the most collected American coins today.
Silver leaves your pocket.
The Coinage Act of 1965 took silver out of US dimes and quarters; half dollars followed by 1971. That is why pre-1965 coins, 90% silver, are still bought and sold by the bag. Collectors call it “junk” silver, with affection.
The Hunt brothers.
Two Texas oil heirs tried to corner the silver market. The price ran to about $50 an ounce in January 1980 before the exchanges changed the rules and it collapsed on “Silver Thursday” that March. The peak was a record that stood for more than forty years.
The American Silver Eagle.
The US Mint revived Adolph Weinman’s Walking Liberty, first struck on the 1916 half dollar, for a new one-ounce coin of .999 silver. It became one of the world’s most popular silver bullion coins.5
A new record.
After five years of shortfall, tight supplies and a rush of buying, silver finally broke its 1980 high in 2025, then topped $120 in January 2026 and fell by more than half within months.2 Few things show more clearly how far and how fast silver can move.
The hardest-working precious metal.
Silver is the best conductor of electricity and heat of any metal, the most reflective, and it fights bacteria. Industry can’t get enough of it.
Industry, led by solar
Industry took 657 million ounces in 2025, or 58% of all silver demand. The biggest single industrial use is the silver paste printed onto solar cells; then the switches, contacts and circuit boards in electronics and electric vehicles.1
Conductor
No metal carries electricity better. Silver sits in membrane switches, car electronics, 5G hardware and the battery systems of electric cars.
Silverware and jewelry
Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, hardened with copper. It has been the standard for fine tableware and jewelry for centuries.
Medicine and water
Silver ions disrupt bacteria, so silver is used in wound dressings, catheters, hospital surfaces and water purification.
Mirrors and glass
A microscopically thin silver layer makes the brightest mirrors and the low-emissivity coatings that keep heat in energy-saving windows.
The collector’s metal.
Silver is where most collections start, and where many collectors happily stay. Here’s why.
The easy first ounce.
An ounce of silver costs a small fraction of an ounce of gold. That makes it the natural way to start, and to keep adding a coin at a time.
A stack you can see grow.
Tubes of 20 or 25, monster boxes of 500. There’s a reason silver collectors call themselves stackers: watching the pile grow is half the fun.
A century of history.
Morgan and Peace dollars, Walking Liberty halves, Mercury dimes, then forty years of Silver Eagles by year and mint mark. Every coin is a piece of American history you can actually afford.
Designs that change every year.
The Panda, the Kookaburra and the Lunar series change their designs each year, and every country’s flagship coin has its own story. Silver is where coin art is most collectible.
Easy to divide.
Need a little? Sell one ounce, keep the rest. Silver is the most flexible metal to own in small pieces, and the easiest to give.
Two engines, one metal.
Silver’s price answers to collectors and to industry at the same time. That makes it livelier than gold: up more in good years, down more in bad ones. Hold it knowing that.
The coins worth knowing.
From the world’s best-selling bullion coin to bags of pre-1965 dimes, these are the silver coins collectors reach for first.
United States · since 1986American Silver Eagle
Weinman’s Walking Liberty in full stride; since 2021, Emily Damstra’s eagle landing with an oak branch on the back. One of the most widely traded silver bullion coins in the world.
- Purity
- .999
- Size
- 1 oz
Canada · since 1988Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
Four nines fine, and since 2014 protected by radial lines and a micro-engraved maple leaf you can see under a loupe.
- Purity
- .9999
- Size
- 1 oz
United Kingdom · since 1997Silver Britannia
Britannia with shield and trident from the Royal Mint, .999 fine since 2013 and guarded by anti-counterfeiting features since 2021.
- Purity
- .999
- Size
- 1 oz
Austria · since 2008Vienna Philharmonic
The same instruments and organ as the famous gold coin, in silver. It is a favorite across Europe.
- Purity
- .999
- Size
- 1 oz
Australia · since 2016Silver Kangaroo
The Perth Mint’s kangaroo bounding across the outback, struck in .9999-fine silver. It is among the purest bullion coins you can buy.
- Purity
- .9999
- Size
- 1 oz
Mexico · since 1982Mexican Libertad
The winged Victoria of Mexico City’s Independence column before the two great volcanoes. It is minted in far smaller numbers than the Silver Eagle or Maple Leaf.
- Purity
- .999
- Size
- 1 oz
China · since 1983Silver Panda
A new panda design almost every year has made it one of the most collected silver coins in the world. Struck in grams since 2016: the “ounce” coin is 30 g.
- Purity
- .999
- Size
- 30 g
United States · 1878 – 1935Morgan and Peace Dollars
The classic American silver dollars, 90% silver and 0.7734 oz each, collected by date, mint mark and grade.
- Purity
- 90%
- Silver
- 0.7734 oz
United States · before 196590% “Junk” Silver
Dimes, quarters and half dollars from before 1965, bought by face value. Every $1 of face holds about 0.715 oz of silver.
- Purity
- 90%
- Per $1 face
- ≈ 0.715 oz
See the size of a stack.
Silver is bulky: an ounce is almost twice the size of an ounce of gold. Bars are the most compact way to hold it, and the bigger the bar, the less you pay per ounce. Pick a size.
- Weight
- 311.0 g
- Volume
- 29.65 cm³
- Metal value now
- $516.80
A palm-sized bar, the stacker’s favorite.
Bars drawn to scale against a credit card (85.6 × 54 mm), in typical proportions; makers vary. Metal value = live spot × weight; a bar costs that plus a premium for refining and minting.
Bars
From 1 oz to 100 oz and the 1 kilo, poured or minted by refiners like PAMP, Valcambi, Asahi and the Royal Canadian Mint. The 10 oz bar is the stacker’s favorite: easy to store, easy to sell.
Rounds
Coin-shaped, one ounce of .999 silver, made by private mints and with no face value. Same metal as a coin for a lower premium, which makes it the cheapest way to own an ounce.
Tubes and monster boxes
Mints ship coins in tubes of 20 or 25 and sealed “monster boxes” of 500. A sealed box costs the least per coin and is the easiest way to sell a large amount intact.
| Feature | Coins | Rounds | Bars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium over spot | Highest | Lower | Lowest per ounce, especially 10 oz and up |
| Recognition | Government-guaranteed | Known by maker | Known by refiner and serial number |
| Collectible | Years, designs, mint marks | Some designs | Mostly about weight |
| Best for | Collecting, gifting, selling one at a time | Stacking ounces cheaply | The most silver in the least space |
Our best-selling silver, priced live.
Every price follows the spot market and is locked the moment you place your order. Every order ships insured and tracked.
Keep reading.
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Featured Products2026 Gold and Silver Bullion Coins Guide | Coins OnlineEducationAre Monster Boxes Cheaper Than Buying Silver Coins Individually?EducationSilver Eagle Monster Box vs Maple Leaf Monster BoxEducationWhat Is a Silver Monster Box? Prices, Types, and Whether It’s Worth ItQuestions about silver.
Why is silver so much cheaper than gold?
It is far more plentiful: about 847 million ounces were mined in 2025 against roughly 118 million ounces of gold. More than half of each year’s silver is consumed by industry instead of being kept. Gold mostly accumulates; silver mostly gets used.
What is the gold-to-silver ratio?
The number of ounces of silver it takes to buy one ounce of gold: divide the gold price by the silver price. Right now it is about 77. Over the last fifty years it has ranged from under 20 (in 1980) to over 120 (in 2020). Some collectors buy whichever metal looks cheaper by this measure.
What is “junk” silver?
US dimes, quarters and half dollars made before 1965, which are 90% silver. They are sold by face value ($1 of face holds about 0.715 oz of silver) and are popular because they are recognizable, divisible and carry low premiums. “Junk” only means they have no extra collector value.
Does silver tarnish, and does it matter?
Silver slowly forms a dark surface layer (silver sulfide) in air. It doesn’t reduce the metal content or the bullion value. Keep coins in their tubes or capsules, away from rubber bands and paper, and don’t polish them. Cleaning lowers the value of collectible coins.
Should I collect coins, rounds or bars?
Coins carry a government guarantee and collector appeal; rounds give you the same metal for a lower premium; bars pack the most silver into the least space. Many stackers mix all three. Compare the total price per ounce, not just the premium.
Why does silver have a higher premium than gold?
Making, packing and shipping a one-ounce silver coin costs about the same as a one-ounce gold coin, but the silver is worth far less, so those costs are a bigger share of the price. Larger bars and boxes bring the premium per ounce down.
Do I pay sales tax on silver?
It depends on the state the order ships to and on the product. Many states exempt bullion, some only above a threshold, and some tax it. Our state-by-state guides explain the rules, and checkout applies them automatically.
Can I sell my silver back to you?
Yes. Coins Online is the online shop of American Rare Coin & Collectibles in Bloomington, Minnesota, a dealer since 1985. We buy at our posted prices on the day you sell, in the store or by mail. How selling works.
Start your silver stack.
One ounce is enough to begin. We’ll ship it insured, in plain packaging.