When you walk into a silver dealer, they will ask you what kinds of silver coins you want to buy. If you do not know, you run the risk of purchasing something you did not want at a high premium.
There are ten main types of one ounce silver coins you can purchase from bullion dealers.
Types of 1 Ounce (1 oz.) silver coins created by government mints include American Silver Eagles, Canadian Maples, Chinese pandas, Mexican Libertads, South African Krugerrands, Australian Kangaroos, and English Britanias. You may also purchase silver coins emitted by private mints called “rounds.”
All these coins are awesome, but I have ranked them from the least popular among US-based stackers to the most popular and sought after coins.
Of course, if you are located outside North America, you may prefer to collect other types of coins. For example, someone located in Mexico may have a larger stack of Libertads.
But there is one type of 1 oz silver coin everyone needs. I will discuss it last since it is my favorite 😉
10. Privately Mint Silver Rounds
I put these last on my list but there are many recognized silver rounds that are worth purchasing.
Silver Rounds are coins that are created by private, non-government mints.
These coins cost less than sovereign coins and can be great to stack for barter.
However, these coins are not minted by a government. Therefore, silver rounds do not have a face value and are not considered legal tender.
Because of this, rounds are sometimes considered less recognizable than sovereign government minted coins and tend to be less liquid.
However, most well-known private mint silver coins are easy to liquidate at a local dealer.
Examples of well-known silver rounds include:
- Europas
- Buffalos
- Morgan Dollars
- Sunshine Mint Rounds
- New Zealand Tree of Life
I like to stack recognized silver rounds. I purchased Europas from my local dealer which I know they will buy back for a good price.
Europas are my favorite silver round to stack at the moment due to their high purity, beautiful design, and liquidity.
Rounds are cheaper than sovereign coins making them very attractive from an investment standpoint.
However, if the coins you have are made by an obscure mint, or have random designs, weird shapes, or are not pure, they may not be as easy to liquidate.
Dealers want to buy back coins they know and can easily verify.
Dealers do not care if Darth Vador is featured on your coin. They will either buy it back at or very close to spot. If the coin is impossible for them to resell, they may even buy it back at melt or pass their turn.
This is one reason why some stackers prefer to only buy sovereign coins, which tend to be very liquid.
The following coins are all government minted and are easy to purchase and liquidate all over the world.
9. Fiji Iguana Silver Coin
This is a foreign sovereign coin that was created in the United States.
Fiji teamed up with The Scottsdale Mint in the USA to create the Fiji Iguana Silver Coin that is only of legal tender in Fiji.
The coin features an iguana and is of .999 purity.
As a rare coin, it can be interesting for collectors, but not especially for stackers looking to store value.
8. Chinese Silver Pandas
Chinese Silver Pandas are coins emitted from the Chinese government featuring a panda on the front, and the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on the back.
These coins are of .999 purity and were first launched in 1983.
You have to be very careful when purchasing 1 oz silver Pandas as these coins are often faked.
If you want to purchase a Chinese Silver Panda, be sure to do so at a recognized dealer.
Definitely do not buy these coins on Alibaba as this is a well known location for counterfeit sellers.
Oftentimes, Alibaba-sourced coins come from China, but were not actually emitted by government sources and are not pure silver.
Dealers will not buy back fake coins.
7. Mexican Silver Libertads
Mexican Silver Libertads are coins emitted by the government of Mexico featuring the Mexican Angel of Independence, as well as two famous volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl.
These coins are of 0.999 purity and were first emitted in 1982, although the Mexican mint was originally founded in 1535.
Mexican Libertad coins are easily recognizable in the United States and South America, but tend to be less common in Europe.
Dealers may not readily purchase them outside of North America making them a bit less desirable compared to other government minted coins.
6. South African Silver Krugerrands
South African Krugerrands are coins emitted by the government of South Africa featuring a Krugerrand on the front.
These coins are of .999 purity and were first emitted in 1967.
South African Krugerrands are becoming increasingly popular among seasoned collectors and stackers to diversify their existing stack.
5. English Silver Bretannias
English Silver Bretanias are coins emitted by the government of England featuring Bretania, a feminine personification of the UK.
These coins are of .999 purity and were first emitted in 1987.
English Silver Bretanias are recognized all over the world and are easy to liquidate in most countries.
These coins are very common among European stackers.
4. Austrian Silver Philharmonics
Austrian Silver Philharmonics are coins emitted by the Austrian government featuring a number of instruments. These coins are of .9999 purity and were first launched in 1989.
These coins are popular among European stackers.
3. American Silver Eagles
American Silver Eagles are coins emitted by the American government featuring Lady Liberty on the obverse, and the Heraldic Eagle on the reverse.
These coins are by far the most popular among US-based stackers.
American Silver Eagles coins are of .999 purity and were first minted in 1986. Depending on the mintage year, silver Eagles have been produced at the San Francisco Mint, Philadelphia Mint, and West Point Mint.
Be careful when buying American Silver Eagles because if you don’t know what you are looking for, you may purchase a look-alike silver round.
For example, I purchased these silver round eagles from my local dealer knowing they are not government-minted silver eagles.
Just be sure to be purchasing the real thing when starting out.
American Silver Eagles are recognized all over the world and are easy to liquidate in most countries.
2. Australian Silver Kangaroos
Australian Silver Kangaroos are coins emitted by the Australian government and feature a kangaroo on the front.
These coins are of .9999 purity placing them among the few purest coins available on the market.
Australian Silver Kangaroos are recognized all over the world and are easy to liquidate in most countries.
1. Canadian Silver Maples
Canadian Silver Maples are my favorite 1 oz sovereign coin to stack!
Canadian Silver Maples are coins emitted by the Canadian government featuring a maple leaf.
Not only are they beautiful, Canadian silver maples have the highest level of purity compared to most other government minted 1 oz silver coins.
Canadian Silver Maples are of .999 purity and were first emitted in 1988.
Canadian Silver Maples are recognized all over the world and are easy to liquidate in most countries.
You may even want to ask for more money if you are liquidating this coin outside of North America where they are more rare and typically have a higher level of purity compared to locally government minted coins.
Conclusion
Pandas, Libertads, and Krugerrands are generally less recognizable if you are located in Europe. European buyers should stick with Bretanias, Silver Maples, American Eagles, maybe Australian Kangaroos, and locally minted coins.
| 1 oz Coin Name | Country of Emission | Type | Purity |
| Europa | Bulgaria | Private Mint | .9999 |
| New Zealand Tree of Life | New Zealand | Private Mint | .9999 |
| Buffalos | USA | Private Mint | .999 |
| Morgan Dollars | USA | Private Mint | .999 |
| Canadian Maple | Canada | Soverain Mint | .9999 |
| Australian Kangaroo | Australia | Soverain Mint | .9999 |
| Austrian Philharmonic | Austria | Soverain Mint | .9999 |
| American Silver Eagle | USA | Soverain Mint | .999 |
| Chinese Panda | China | Soverain Mint | .999 |
| Mexican Libertad | Mexico | Soverain Mint | .999 |
| South African Krugerrand | South Africa | Soverain Mint | .999 |
| English Britania | England | Soverain Mint | .999 |
Since my goal is to get the most recognizable, liquid silver for my debasing dollar, I purchase the highest purity coins.
That’s why my silver stack is made up of Canadian Maples and Europa silver rounds.
Overall, at 99.99% purity, Canadian Maples are the sovereign coin to beat with the most recognizable and easy to liquidate silver for your money!
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