The benefits of silver, like those of gold, can be realized only through investment in the physical metal. Like gold, silver is available both in bullion and certified rare coins.

Silver Bullion

Silver bullion shares gold bullion’s exceptional liquidity and has extraordinary prospects for short-term profits.

Following are four of the most popular silver bullion products among individual investors:

• Silver American Eagles

Adolph A. Weinman’s iconic 1916 “Walking Liberty” half dollar, considered by many to be the most beautiful American coin ever minted, is stunningly recreated in today’s Silver Eagle. These legal tender.999 pure silver US coins have been a perennial favorites among global investors.

• Silver Maple Leafs

The Royal Canadian Mint is renowned for the purity of its precious metal bullion coins, and the ‘four nines’ fine silver in the Maple Leaf is no exception. The beauty of Maple Leafs lies below the surface; for those who see and appreciate such things there is no equal.

• Silver Rounds

“Silver rounds” is loosely used term that can refer to a wide variety of products ranging from generic privately minted “coins” bearing no mint mark to those struck by highly regarded producers such as Sunshine Minting. Rounds can also include real coinage such as US coins minted prior to 1965, commonly called “junk silver,” as well as bullion coins minted by foreign countries.For investment purposes, the greater liquidity of silver rounds bearing the mark of the better known mints, such as Sunshine, are by far the best choice. Due to extreme variability in quality and security, it is wise to seek the advice of your investment partner before investing in silver rounds.

• Silver Credit Suisse Bars

Credit Suisse is one of the oldest and most highly respected financial institutions in the world. The renowned purity and consistency of Credit Suisse silver make bars bearing their mark one of the most liquid bullion assets on the market today.

Certified Rare Silver Coins

For investors seeking returns over a period of 14 months to three years, certified rare silver coins offer the same advantages of security and additional investment potential in rarity as those of rare gold coins.

As it is with gold coins, the better known certified rare silver coins offer the ideal mix of growth potential and liquidity for investment purposes. Two of the best performers by far are:

• Morgan Silver Dollar

The Morgan Silver Dollar is one of the most widely recognized and highly sought after American rare coins. First struck in 1878 the Morgan Silver Dollar was the icon of the “free silver” movement that championed equal footing for silver and gold coinage throughout the remainder of the century.

Mintage of the Morgan Silver Dollar ceased in 1904, but under the Pittman Act of 1918, which called for the melting and re-striking of silver dollars, one final issue was minted in 1921.

The history of the Morgan Silver Dollar is unusually complex with a great number of variations. In addition, replicas and outright forgeries abound. With the services of a knowledgeable and trustworthy advisor at your disposal, however, Morgan Silver Dollars offer unparalleled investment potential.

• Peace Silver Dollar

The Peace Silver Dollar is the successor to the Morgan and the last circulated American silver dollar. Designed to commemorate the end of WWI and a new world “safe for democracy,” the initial mintage of the Peace Dollar ran from 1921 to 1928, in which 183.5 million coins were struck.

Production of the Peace Dollar resumed briefly between 1934 and 1935, with a total mintage of just 7 million. The supply of Peace Dollars is very limited compared to Morgan Dollars, of which a total of 657 million were struck.

Whatever your investment goals may be, there is a silver product that will help your achieve them. Silver’s relatively low price is particularly appealing to investors whose resources have been constrained by current economic conditions, and the drastic undervaluation of silver offers tantalizing prospects for those of any means.