Silver bullion bars, also referred to as silver ingot bars, generally consist of 99.99% silver and range in size from one ounce to 5000 ounces. The 10-oz and 100-oz sizes are the most popular with investors. The 5-oz, 25-oz, and 50-oz size bars, which were produced in the early 1970s, are difficult to find. However, the diligent collector can sometimes find these silver bars on popular online auction sites such as eBay.

Unlike silver coins, silver bullion bars are first and foremost an industrial product. They are intended to be used as a storage means and are consider a trading medium. They are very liquid, but should be purchased strictly as an investment and not used for bartering purposes.

Some of the advantages of owning silver bullion bars are:

* Uniform size, making them very convenient to store and easy to handle.

* Compact size, making them ideal for investors who want to secure a large amount of wealth in a relatively small storage area.

* Recognizable hallmarks, making them readily accepted for resale and easily convertible to cash.

The 100-oz silver bullion bars are often called investment bars, because collectors who buy them usually do so for investment purposes, not as a hedge against inflation. These type of collectors will often sell when silver prices go up. The 100-oz silver bullion bars are desirable because they offer a low markup over the spot price of silver, although they arent as flexible as the 10-oz variety.

The most popular silver bullion bars are created by Engelhard and Johnson-Matthey. Although they are two of the worlds largest refiners, they have not mass-produced silver bars since the mid-1980s. This means Johnson-Matthey and Engelhard silver bars are only available when other investors decide to sell. More readily available are the 100 ounce Wall Street Mint and Sunshine Mining bars. The English Sheffield and Handy