Buying silver bars

Buy Johnson Matthey struck silver bars

Buying silver bars is one of the least complicated transactions when it comes to silver investing. Silver bars are easy to handle, stack and store. They need no special protection against nicks and dings, which come with handling. Of the many styles of silver bars made, Johnson Matthey struck 100-oz .999 silver bars are among the more popular.

As the name implies, Johnson Matthey struck silver bars were "struck" with the same process as coins are struck, with blanks and presses. The result was not only a highly reflective finish but also clearly defined lettering and edges.

The JM hallmark, the bar weight, and the identification numbers are raised on struck bars. A Johnson Matthey struck 100-oz silver bar measures 5-1/8" X 3" X 1-3/16" and weighs 6.86 pounds on a bathroom (avoirdupois) scale.

Further increasing these bars' popularity were the corrugated boxes in which Johnson Matthey shipped them. The boxes protected the bars from nicks and dings that naturally happen when silver bars are moved about, stacked and stored.

However, today few investors get the opportunity to buy stuck silver bars by Johnson Matthey because not many were made. Johnson Matthey did not start making its struck 100-oz silver bars until the mid-1980s, just as demand started to wane; consequently, Johnson Matthey did not turn out many struck 100-oz silver bars. Furthermore, still fewer Johnson Matthey struck silver bars show up in their original corrugated boxes.

Many more Johnson Matthey poured 100-oz bars were made than were struck bars, making the poured silver bars much more likely to show up in the secondary markets. Additionally, Johnson Matthey is now making new 100-oz poured silver bars.

However, the new Johnson Matthey 100-oz silver bars are not serial numbered, whereas the older Johnson Matthey bars were. When buying silver bars, you may want to ask which bars you will receive, but it really does not make much difference.

Buying 100-oz silver bars:

Johnson Matthey struck

Many investors ask for Johnson Matthey and Engelhard when investing in silver bullion. However, JM and Engelhard bars are not always available. When JM and Engelhard bars are not available, investors can buy with confidence Sunshine Minting, Wall Street Mint, Academy and Ohio Precious Metals silver bars, all of which are currently being produced.

Buying cheap silver

100-oz silver bars are usually one of the cheaper ways to buy silver bullion. However, Royal Canadian Mint 850-oz odd-weight silver bars are usually the cheapest silver bars available. When looking for cheap (low premium) silver, another form to consider is junk silver coins, U.S. silver coinage minted before 1965.

How to buy silver

If you would like to discuss investing in silver with CMI Gold & Silver Inc., call us at 800-528-1380. We take calls 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. MST, Mondays through Fridays. Or, follow the link for more information about buying and selling gold and silver with CMI Gold & Silver Inc.