Are All Silver Bullion Coins Alike?

Are All Silver Bullion Coins Alike?

The simple answer is no, but we will explore advantages and disadvantages here.

The United states Silver eagle

Customers in the United States prefer this coin, but it commands very little over the bullion price.  One problem is the same image is used year after year.

The Chinese Panda

This is a beautiful coin, and authentic coins can command a nice premium, which is good when you have to sell.  The problem is counterfeiting.  China is not strict about counterfeiting foreign coins, but will not look favorably when its own coins are counterfeited.  So, look for the Yuan symbol.  With it, the coin is Chinese currency, and counterfeiting is less likely.

The Britannia of Great Britain

This is a nice coin with a solid history of performing well above the spot metal price.  Very highly recommended.

The Canadian Maple Leaf

This coin is 0.9999 pure silver, not the traditional 0.999 that most fine silver is.  The last nine is not that big of a value change, except in the minds of many buyers.  And resale depends on what a buyer will pay.  This coin is highly recommended if you can get it at a price near the spot price of silver.

The Australian Coins

The Perth Mint has three silver bullion coins, the kookaburra, the lunar coins, and the koala.  All three change every year, and are sought after by numismatists.  Of these, the koala, the last to be introduced, often carries the least premium.  One advantage here is the multiple sizes that are produced.  While all sizes are not available for all coins, the sizes range from one half ounce to one kilogram, including the one, two, five, and ten ounce sizes.  The kookaburra and the lunar series are highly recommended.

The Royal Australian Mint claims the kangaroo as bullion, but many are mounted on mint cards making them more numismatic than bullion in nature.  The kangaroo changes annually.

The Austrian Philharmonic

This coin created quite a stir when it was first released.  Unfortunately, it does not change design annually, making it boring.  Another problem is we once got a coin in with “milk spots.”  For those who do not know, milk spots are white discolorations that happen at the mint.  They are not something that needs attention, but do make an ugly appearance on the coin. 

The Mexican Libertad

This coin may be attractive, but as with other issues the design is stagnant.  One problem we have had here is bag marks, the scratches and chips caused by coins making contact in the bags used by the mint to package them.

The New Zealand Fern and Kiwi

The kiwi is by far more desirable than the fern.  The fern just did not catch on.  

However, the New Zealand Mint does make the taku for the Fiji Islands, which is popular.  Perhaps it will stay popular, but the image does not change, so probably not.