The most popular weight in precious metals products is 1 oz, offering investors and collectors with a flexible weight that can be easily moved and stored, a reasonable amount of silver to invest in, and an affordable pricing point. However, there are a number of less than 1 oz silver products available from JM Bullion. These products offer greater flexibility and more affordable prices, making it easier for more individuals to invest in and own precious metal products.
The vast majority of silver bars produced for the precious metals industry come from private mints around the globe. The single largest producer of less than 1 oz silver bars is PAMP Suisse. Founded in Ticino, Switzerland in 1977, Produits Artistiques Metaux Precieux, is now part of the MKS Group based in Geneva. The latter is a global precious metals and financial services firm.
PAMP’s primary product is the Fortuna Silver Bar. The obverse side of each of these bars features the image of the Roman goddess Fortuna. The goddess of luck and fortune, she is depicted on the obverse with a blindfold over her eyes, a wreath around her head, and a cornucopia which pours forth a bounty of riches into her clasped hands at the bottom. Fortuna Silver Bars are available in a wide range of weights, including two popular weights less than 1 oz: ½ troy oz and 20 Grams.
In addition to PAMP’s popular less than 1 oz silver products, you’ll also find a new product from the Atlantis Mint. A private mint founded in the United States, many of its products are struck using hand-poured techniques. Currently, it’s unique Alien Skull bar is available in a ½ oz weight with .999 pure silver. The Alien Skull bars feature a disturbing image of an unknown creature’s skull. To create these bars, silver is hand-poured into a cast that is shaped exactly like a skull.
Most sovereign mints do not produce their popular bullion coin programs in weights beyond the popular 1 oz variety. However, there are a few popular programs that offer silver minting in less than 1 oz options. The most diverse program is the Mexican Silver Libertad from the Mexican Mint.
The Mexican Mint was founded by Spanish conquistadors in 1535 in an effort to refine gold and silver discovered through Central America for easier shipment back to Europe. Since that time, it has served as the official mint of Mexico and is the oldest operating facility in the Western Hemisphere. The Mexican Mint first gained international attention with its gold Centenario coin.
The Mexican Silver Libertad was introduced in 1982 in a bullion version and featured the original version of the Winged Victory statue and Mexican coat of arms on the obverse and reverse. In 1991, the series expanded to include four fractional-weight coins. Today, Mexican Silver Libertad coins are produced in bullion and proof version in 1/20 oz, 1/10 oz, ¼ oz, and ½ oz weights.
The nation of Armenia is one of the few in the modern world to have a deep connection to a biblical tale such as that of Noah’s Ark. In the book of Genesis, God comes to Noah and asks him to save his family and the animal species of the world by constructing an ark to survive an epic flood. Noah’s Ark came to a rest after the flood on Mount Ararat, historically found within Armenia.
Armenia was the first modern nation to declare Christianity its official state religion. Following the conclusion of World War I, the Soviet Union and Turkey redrew previous Ottoman Empire borders to include Mount Ararat within Turkey. Introduced in 2011, Germany’s Geiger Edelmetalle produces these silver bullion coins in .999 pure silver annually. Starting in 2012, the Armenian Noah’s Ark coin now includes a ¼ oz and ½ oz coin with face values listed in Armenian Drams.
The Chinese Mint’s primary annual offering is the Silver Panda. Chinese Silver Panda coins debuted in 1983 with only a proof option available. It took until 1989 for the Chinese Mint to standardize the Silver Panda at 1 Troy oz in weight and .999 pure silver. The Silver Pandas were initially less than 1 oz in weight and featured .900 silver. No coins were issued in 1986. Only proof coins were struck in 1987 and 1988, this time offering .925 silver.
While the Chinese Silver Panda coins were initially offered only as 1 oz silver coins, the Chinese Mint eventually expanded the Silver Panda to feature silver coins less than one ounce in weight. The Chinese Silver Panda expanded to include 1/2 oz and 1/4 oz coins and the specimens have different features depending on the date of issue. These fractional weights are offered most commonly in a proof version and, as of 2016, are no longer weighted as 1/2 oz and 1/4 oz silver. The coins of the entire Chinese Panda program are now marked in Grams. The 1/2 oz and 1/4 oz silver coins are now 15 Gram and 8 Gram coins, respectively.
There aren’t a lot of mints around the world, sovereign or privately-owned, that produce silver rounds and low-premium silver products that have a weight less than 1 oz. The Great American Mint in the United States is the primary producer of silver rounds under 1 oz, with a great variety of products available for investors seeking affordable options.
The Great American Mint was founded in 2011 and was in full operation by 2013. Located in Anaheim, California, the Great American Mint produces a wide variety of silver bars and silver rounds, and also produces investment-grade silver bullion blanks and acts as a dealer for sovereign coin programs.
From the Great American Mint you’ll find the likes of the Buffalo Nickel, Morgan Silver Dollar, and Walking Liberty designs on the obverse side of a less than 1 oz silver rounds. The details of these products, including less than 1 oz weights, include:
These are among the most popular less than 1 oz silver products you’ll find on the market today, and all are offered by JM Bullion. If you have questions for one of our associates, you can reach out to us on the phone at 800-276-6508, connect with us online using our live web chat, and submit your questions via email.