World's Silver Production By Country – And Much More!

Some Insights Into Silver

Silver is one of the most important of all precious metals. Today owning silver as part of your portfolio seems to be a smart choice as prices have risen substantially over the past year or two and show little signs of topping out any time soon. [If your focus has been on gold to date then it is time to learn more about “that other shiny metal” and I will endeavour to do just that in this article.] Words: 687

So says David Boyd (www.moneychoices.com) in an article* which Lorimer Wilson, editor of www.munKNEE.com, has reformatted and edited […] below for the sake of clarity and brevity to ensure a fast and easy read. (Please note that this paragraph must be included in any article re-posting to avoid copyright infringement.)  Boyd goes on to say:

Click the silver infographic to view it full-size (1200px)

Below are some interesting facts about silver:

1. Peru is the Number One Silver Producer in the World (123.9 million ounces) followed by Mexico (104.7 million), China (89.1 million). The United States was 8th with 39.8 million ounces [and Canada was 11th with 19.6 million ounces].

2. Most Silver is Produced as a Byproduct of the gold, copper, lead and zinc refining process.

3. The Comstock Lode Was the Greatest Single Discovery of Silver in U.S. History when, back in 1859, over 17,000 people rushed to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to get a chance at improving their fortune by cashing in on the silver rush.

4. Silver Isn’t Stockpiled in the National Reserves of Countries  the way that gold is.

5. 95% of Silver Consumption Can Be Attributed to Industrial Use such as the production of jewellery, silverware, photography and batteries.

6. The Melting Point of Silver is 961.78 Degrees Celsius or 1763.2 Degrees Fahrenheit

7. Silver Has the Highest Electrical Conductivity of Any Element and, as such, is widely used in such applications as electrical circuits and contacts and batteries.

8. Silver Is the Best Conductor of Heat of All the Elements and, as such, is used widely in solar panel, rear window defoggers and many other operations where heat transference is important.

9. Silver Serves an Important Role in Water Purification because it prevents bacterial growth.

10. Silver Will Tarnish when it is exposed to air or water that contains ozone or hydrogen sulfide.

11. Sterling Silver is Composed of 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper and is used in the manufacturing of high quality cutlery.

12. Pre-1965 U.S. Dimes, Quarters and Half Dollars Contained a Large Amount of Silver with 1 dollar’s worth of such[being worth approximately $21 U.S. at today’s silver prices].

13. The 1895 Morgan silver dollar has sold for $120,000 (U.S.). According to the U.S. Mint only 12,000 coins were produced for general circulation and another 800 Proof coins were minted. Only 75 or so coins (all proof) have ever come to public view.

14. Silver is More Malleable Than Any Other Element Except Gold and, for example, can be made into a sheet that is 150 times thinner than a sheet of notebook paper.

15. Silver is More Ductile Than Any Other Element Except Gold with one gram of silver being coiled up into 8,000 feet of thin wire.

Today’s ‘Cloud’ is the Economy and its ‘Silver Lining’ is Just that – Silver!

 [To complement what you now know about silver check out this article on why silver is such an outstanding investment opportunity and Wilson’s article here entitled “Historical Gold:Silver Ratios Suggest Silver Could (Easily) Reach $200! Here’s Why”.]

Isn’t it time you owned some silver?

*http://www.moneychoices.com.au/blog/the-rise-of-silver-infographic.php (David is a 20-something based in New South Wales, Australia and is co-founder of Money Choices)