The most obvious fact why silver is better to purchase than gold is affordability. Even though both metals have comparable melting points and are considered valuable metals, gold is heavier and does not tarnish. Silver tarnishes only a small amount and has proven durability. We have discovered coins dating back to the Ancient Roman Empire, some two thousand years ago, which were still in great condition. The low cost provided by silver provides an edge against gold. People looking to collect precious metals at a low cost should start with silver.
Own more
Purchasing silver bullion gives you the capability to own multiple silver pieces for the cost of one gold piece. The acknowledgement of silver material in applications beyond coins is growing. Sterling silver is found within silverware, electronics, jewellery, furniture and lots of other industrial items.
Government intervention
There have been times when the government has confiscated gold from the public. Some people may hold silver instead out of fear this could happen again in the future. Some people believe, instead of confiscating gold, the government will add an extremely high tax on the coin.
Mining
Silver has been mined more in comparison to gold. 46 billion ounces of silver have been mined, but only 5 billion ounces of gold. Silver is so rare because it is used in many products. There is only about one billion ounces left in existence in the form of a coin. Today there is about twice as much gold in bullion form.
Ratio
The ratio between gold and silver is off. Gold is about 67 times more expensive than silver, but mining companies are only able to mine about 10 times more than gold. This means that silver's value should be around $130 dollars today. At the time of this article, you could purchase an ounce of silver for $20. That is 6.5 times higher than market value.
The future of silver
As more industries find uses for silver, the value of silver will probably continue rising. It will attract investment dollars as more industries start adopting the metal. Rest assured that silver has implicit value as a rare metal in a commodity market. Recent history suggests that silver has outperformed gold in most cases.
