An Overview of 5 Popular Silver Bullion Coins from Around the World

When this article was originally published, silver bullion coins from around the world had grown steadily in popularity. Bullion is chiefly made for precious-metals investment purposes, yet many people also appreciated owning coins from distant and unusual countries. Beyond their metal value, certain bullion issues also carried numismatic appeal for collectors.

Below is a short introduction to five especially noteworthy kinds of silver bullion coins:

Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Coin

The Royal Canadian Mint struck its first Silver Maple Leaf bullion coins in 1988. Queen Elizabeth appears on the obverse. Its familiar name comes instead from the maple leaf on the reverse, an enduring Canadian symbol. The Royal Canadian Mint was among the earliest mints to raise silver-coin purity to the four-nines standard, or 99.99% pure.

A 1 troy ounce Canadian Silver Maple Leaf carries a five-dollar face value, which made it the highest face value assigned to any 1 oz. coin worldwide. The Silver Maple Leaf is technically legal tender, so a person could theoretically use Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins to pay for groceries at a store.

Given the coin’s silver value in comparison with its legal-tender denomination of $5, using it that way was not advisable.

While the core design of these international silver bullion coins stays consistent from year to year, particular dates have included special privy marks. The Zodiac series, for example, used privy marks for various zodiac signs. Other Canadian Maple Leaf issues are colorized or incorporate holograms.

Chinese Silver Panda

In 1983, the mint of the People’s Republic of China started producing Chinese Silver Panda coins. During the first three years, only proof examples were struck, and mintages were just 10,000 coins annually. Bulk uncirculated issues arrived later.

On the Chinese Silver Panda, the obverse shows the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Its reverse is changed annually and presents a different image of the Giant Panda.

These world silver bullion coins were issued in 1 kilogram, 150 gram, and 30 gram denominations after the Chinese mint adopted metric weights in 2016. Before 2016, the available sizes were 12 troy ozs, 5 troy ozs, 1 troy oz, 1/2 troy oz, and 1/4 troy oz.

At the time of original publication, the article described the following: Giant Panda purity increased on two occasions: from 90.0% in 1983 to 92.5% in 1987, then later to the article’s stated current purity of 99.9%.

The stated face value for these world silver bullion coins is 10 Yuan.

Great Britain Silver Britannia

Among the world’s most visually striking and interesting silver bullion coins is the Great Britain Silver Britannia. First issued by the Royal Mint in 1997, the Silver Britannia places Queen Elizabeth on its obverse. The reverse is particularly distinctive: it uses a different design each year, but every version features Britannia, Great Britain’s symbolic figure.

The 1-oz Britannia is the best-known size, though fractional versions were also available in 1/2, 1/4, and 1/10 troy oz. The 5 oz. and 1/12-oz. sizes were added in 2013.

Britannias had a purity of 95.8% through 2013, when that standard changed to 99.9%. This coin’s face value is £2.

In addition to their changing Britannia images, many of these coins carry special privy marks. Those marks identify the coin’s series or special edition while also providing an added security feature.

Austrian Silver Philharmonic

People who enjoy music may find both gold and silver Austrian Philharmonics appealing as investments. The coin’s front depicts the Golden Hall at Musikverein, the grand home of the orchestra that gives the coin its name. Its reverse displays musical instruments: violins, a cello, a bassoon, a harp, and a Vienna horn.

The Austrian Mint introduced Silver Austrian Philharmonic bullion coins in 2008. The Philharmonic also became the first world bullion coin with a face value denominated in Euros.

The 1-oz. Philharmonic carries a face value of 1.50 Euros and contains 99.99% pure silver, making it a strong option for precious-metals investors and collectors alike.

Australian Silver Kangaroo

At the Royal Australian Mint, numismatic Australian Silver Kangaroo versions have been made since 1993. Kangaroos created for precious-metals investment, meanwhile, have been struck at Perth Mint, the nation’s official bullion mint, since 2015.

The 1-oz. Kangaroo has a one-dollar face value ($1). With purity of 99.99% silver, these coins offer notable value for their weight.

The design is distinctive: each year, the obverse of these coins shows a new portrayal of a leaping red kangaroo. Queen Elizabeth’s portrait appears on the reverse.

Benefits of Acquiring World Silver Bullion Coins

Because bullion coins are meant for investment use, it is reasonable to ask why the particular world silver bullion coin chosen should matter.

To begin, these coins do not all share identical purity levels or weight choices. Someone focused solely on metal content might prefer one of the world coins with the greatest purity.

Bullion coins can nevertheless have a collectible component. Investors may enjoy coins from different countries, with varied and often attractive designs. In addition, certain world silver bullion coins can be difficult to locate, especially coins from their earliest minting years or years with low mintages.

Although most bullion coins are not graded, some are sufficiently scarce and brilliant that grading can be worthwhile.

Whether selected for collecting, investment, or appreciation of their individual designs, world silver bullion coins retained melt value based on the spot price of silver.

Final Thoughts

Readers may wonder why this list did not include the American Eagle 1 oz silver coin made by the United States Mint. In the United States, the American Silver Eagle was the most familiar, sought-after, and popular silver bullion coin; this article instead aimed to highlight other government-minted silver bullion coins within the wider silver-coin market.

Silver bars, silver dollars, junk silver, and other fine silver were also viewed as worthwhile investments. Still, adding silver world bullion coins to a holding could diversify it and often add visual interest to an overall silver stack.

Where Silver Bullion Coins Could Be Found or Sold

When this article was originally published, U.S. silver coins and bullion from private mints were relatively straightforward to buy, but locating a dealer with desired world silver bullion coins could take more effort. At that time, Atlanta Gold & Coin Buyers reported keeping an assortment of world coins in its inventory.

At the time of publication, if a requested coin was not in stock, readers were invited to let Atlanta Gold & Coin know so the business could see whether it could acquire that coin for them.

When the article was originally published, We buy silver bullion, select foreign coins, and offered many types of appraisals. The original article stated that appraisals included free website, email, and phone quotes, plus a free appraisal intended for selling and paid written appraisals for sizable collections.

For readers considering buying or selling world silver and gold bullion coins at publication, contact us was the invitation to learn about the services and coins then offered.

At original publication, the article invited viewing our homepage for then-current gold and silver spot prices and calling 678-515-5763 that day!