Silver is available in many forms, but the most popular is in bullion, flats and rounds, and most of them are claimed to be .999 percent pure. When investors put their money into silver they may not want a stack of silver bullion sitting in their closet or even their home safe. Similar to gold, investors can receive silver certificates to show owners ship of silver.

These are not the same type of silver certificates that were issued in the United States as money, typically in one, five and 10-dollar denominations. When an investor in silver makes a purchase, the buyer can receive a certificate that denotes ownership of the weight of silver and the silver itself remains in a secured area, usually separated by the certificate holders, many of which who may have their collections in the same safe storage area. At any time they are supposed to be able to return to the issuer to either sell their silver or to receive their silver in a different form, such as bullion.

The collectables market has also provided investors in a way they can begin using silver, such as small square or rectangular shapes, each weighing about one ounce, and engraved or stamped as a commemorative collectable. They will typically cost more than the value of the silver with which it is made, but buyers will hold onto them, not only because they commemorate a person, place or thing, but in hoping the price of silver continues to rise, making it more valuable.

As the price for silver edges up, businesses that have been buying scrap gold are beginning to see a market for scrap silver and are offering to buy silver jewellery, collectable items and even flatware made of silver. As individuals face tough economic times, they are taking up these businesses on their offer and converting their old silver items into cash.

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