The most common silver bar sizes are 1, 10, and 100 troy ounces. However, there are also many other sizes of silver bars produced by mints around the world. These miscellaneous silver bar sizes are known as offsize silver bars. Some investors favor offsize silver bars, while others are wary about purchasing these unusually-sized bars.
Options
While the standard one, ten, and 100-ounce silver bars make up the majority of the market, there are many other options. These offsize options range from very small to very large bars, providing a wide variety of choices for investors at all price points. These include ½ ounce, 2 ounce, 25 ounce, and 50 ounce bars. There are also metric-weight bars such as 1 gram or 1 kilogram.
A 5.1 ozt Silver Bar from Hoffman and Hoffman
Many of these bars are produced by mints that also offer common silver bar sizes. Others are made by mints that specialize in these unique sizes. They tend to be produced by smaller, niche mints, rather than the larger precious metals producers.
Purchasing
Because they are produced by relatively few mints, offsize silver bars are more difficult to find than more common sizes. If you are in the market for offsize bars, you will find the largest selection by buying from an online precious metal dealer. Most large precious metal dealers will have at least some options available in unusual sizes. However, because they are not as widely distributed as 1 or 10 ounce silver bars, you may pay a higher per-ounce premium for offsize bars.
Benefits
Often, off-size silver bars are produced as special editions or as art bars. Their novelty and beauty attracts many silver investors. Others choose these unusual sizes as a way to diversify their physical silver investment. The smallest-sized silver bars are commonly given as gifts. They are also purchased by investors who are concerned about a potential devaluation of the current currency. In such a situation, smaller-sized silver bars could be used in trade for daily necessities.
Liquidity
The reality is that a silver bar is always worth its weight in silver, at the current silver spot price, regardless of how much it weighs. However, owners of offsize silver bars often find that they are more difficult to sell. Some investors immediately disregard offize silver bars, and some dealers do not purchase such bars. Still, it should not be overly difficult to sell unusually-sized silver bars for at least the melt value of the silver they contain.
Drawbacks
Many investors are unaware that such sizes do exist, and some do not trust that such bars are authentic. When buying any off-size silver bar, do your research. Make sure that the silver you are buying is at least .999 pure. Always make sure it is marked with the purity and weight, as well as the mint. This will help to ensure that you are able to sell the silver bar easily. As long as the bar is marked with this information, you should be able to sell it for at least the bar’s melt value.
