Silver Bullion Bars

There has been a surge in demand for silver bars recently. They make a fine investment alternative to gold. The most obvious benefit of buying silver is to hedge inflation. The current financial situation has led to fears that inflation may rise due to counter measures from governments across the globe. Investing in a precious metal will help people stay on track with their money. � Inflation is the fall in value of money, not the rise in prices of products. Therefore owning a precious metal is a surefire way of retaining value because it cannot be reproduced. Governments make as much money as they like but there is only so much silver in the world. Silver bars provide security for ones finances. � Silver bars make a sound alternative to gold because the market is less saturated. At present the Gold market for investors is valued at around $800 billion. The silver market at just $8 billion, and of course silver is more affordable. Silver bars are available in 4 sizes: � ��� 1000 ounces. These are usually reserved for jewelers as silver coins. ��� 100 ounces. Used both by investors and industry. ��� 10 ounces. Usually a combination of investment and collectibles. ��� 1 ounce. Exclusively for collectors. � The standard size for private investors is 100 ounces. They contain 99.9% pure silver. They are made by different companies but all are accepted as trading units, so they are easy to sell. They weigh just 6.86 pounds which makes them simple to transport. The 100oz silver bars are all made in a standard size, and are therefore stored compactly. � Paper investments are worth less in times of financial instability. Silver bars create a safe haven from riskier paper based investments. They make it possible to hold large amounts of wealth in a relatively small space. � Each silver bullion bar is stamped with the weight, purity and maker. The most popular makers include Englehard, Johnson Matthey, Academy, Wall Street and Sunshine. All make the bars with the same purity, but have slightly different dimensions. It is advisable to stick to one maker to ensure easy stacking. For example Academy silver bullion bars are made in such a way that they can be stacked like Lego pieces, most other makers stick to simple block designs.