Silver may be used as an investment, like other metals, both precious and base. Silver has been regarded as a form of money and store of value for thousands of years; however it has lost its role as a common form of currency. Silver bullion has the ISO currency code of XAG.

As early as 700 BC, merchants used silver as a form of exchange, and later, many civilizations realized the value of silver as a trading metal. One of the advantages of silver is that it combines the property of both a base metal and a precious metal; in addition, industrial use of silver is the largest component of silver fabrication demand.

In many tax regimes, silver does not hold the special position that is often afforded to gold, and as a result, this makes investment in silver coins or bullion less attractive for private investors.

Millions of people recognize silver’s intrinsic value and have made it popular as an affordable investment – in fact, in the US, Individual Retirement Account (IRA) participants can invest a portion of their portfolio in silver providing they are 99.9 silver.