Showing posts with label silver supply. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silver supply. Show all posts

Friday, February 01, 2013

So Who Has Silver?

Do investors want to own silver because the latest GDP number means that the Fed will continue with QE easing by buying $85 billion a month in mortgage paper and Treasuries? Maybe they see silver and gold as a good "have at hand" store of value. Or maybe they just like the soft, lustrous look and feel of the transitional metal. Each person has their own reasons for owning silver, however these day it is likely safe to say that most folks who own silver in quantity are doing so for the future value.   

It looks like that there are a rather large number of people whom think silver is a great investment these days. I like silver because it looks nice when made into everyday things like utensils and especially when minted into coins and bars. (you now where this is headed)  Many others see silver a good store of value.  


So what is the fuss all about anyway. Lets have a look at some of the media things relating to silver these days...


Hear is a quote from Gregor Gregersen at Silver Bullion Pte Ltd... 



“Our clients are worried that a major currency crisis or mass bankruptcies would occur,” said Gregor Gregersen, the 36- year-old founder of Silver Bullion, whose sales now average about S$6 million ($4.9 million) a month. “It all has to do with falling confidence in the heavily indebted Western governments and financial institutions.”  Link


Bloomberg has been reporting on silver rather frequently  including this article  



Bloomberg reports:
Sales of American Eagle silver coins by the U.S. Mint jumped to a record this month on increased demand for an alternative to currencies as the U.S. central bank presses on with unprecedented stimulus. Sales surged to 7.42 million ounces so far in January, the biggest monthly total since 1986, when the Washington-based Mint began the transactions. The figure compares with the 1.635 million ounces sold in December.
Wasn't it just  Last week that the Royal Canadian Mint put limits on the quantity of sales for its Silver Maple Leaf coin? Yet another link

So what do you think about all the fuss over silver? Leave your comments below if you wish.


My two cents are:


Silver when seen in the weathered natural form out in the field, in a vein outcrop, is rather ugly looking, it's dark and often tends to leave a black satin. But it is rather pretty when refined and it seems that it is  becoming more valuable.  

The last thing I think you should do is rely upon anything I have written above as Investment Advice. I am a mineral prospector who looks at trends in the market mainly to guide my own activities when choosing where to focus and what minerals to focus on in prospecting work. Do I own silver? Yes i do, but my business doesn't include advising people on how to invest. Call the experts for that.

Silver is becoming a mineral that is attracting more attention from the prospector community, and I think that it is about time that it did. A good dream would involve finding a deposit of silver mixed with gold at a high grade. A near perfect dream would involve finding silver and gold mixed with base metals at a profitable mine grade.



After prospecting for a long day in the cold of Manitoba



Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Prospecting for Silver


The price of Silver has fluctuated some over recent months but it remains at levels that make it an attractive mineral for prospecting attention. As of Nov 3 Silver made gains of 0.8 percent, to $34.48 per ounce.

Silver has always been seen as a favourite mineral in the prospecting community; while not as exciting as Gold or PGM's it still is an attention getter when discovered. The grade needs to be higher than more expensive precious metals like gold, but having lesser amounts as by-products in lead, zinc and copper deposits certainly adds value to the overall ore.

The three silver hotspots in the world are Mexico, Peru and China. These countries boost the best grades and annual production of silver in the world. In 2010 Mexico produced 129 million ounces, Peru put out 116 million ounces and it is estimated that China produced over 99 million ounces.

Numerous companies mine and explore for silver in many regions of the world, some focused entirely pure silver mines yet many others have silver as a valuable metal in poly-metallic mineral deposits.  In many cases the silver is not the primary metal being mined however its content serves well to create additional income and in increasing the overall value per tonne of ore mined.

While it would be great to be able to prospect for and find a viable silver mine, finding one may be a challenge in any location these days. What may be more valuable to the prospector is working on some base metal occurrences and reviewing them for their potential of also hosting silver as a by-product metal. This may add greater value to a marginal deposit of lead, zinc, copper etc. So it is something that you should assay for if it hasn't already been checked. Even in gold and other mineral deposits it is always a good idea to run a couple of assays for silver and for that matter numerous metals.

Most assay labs offer lower cost ICP type analysis that cover up to 30 or more elements, and you should always have a couple of those done on any mineral indications you find. It will provide a base level idea of the composition and allow you to focus future assay work and finances.

Happy Prospecting!



Top 20 Silver Producing Countries in 2010
(millions of ounces)

1.         Mexico              128.6
2.         Peru                   116.1
3.         China                   99.2
4.         Australia              59.9
5.         Chile                    41.0
6.         Bolivia                 41.0
7.         United States       38.6
8.         Poland                 37.7
9.         Russia                  36.8
10.        Argentina            20.6
11.        Canada               18.0
12.        Kazakhstan         17.6
13.        Turkey                12.3
14.        Morocco              9.7
15.        India                     9.7
16.        Sweden                9.2
17.        Indonesia              6.9
18.        Guatemala            6.3
19.        Iran                       3.4
20.        South Africa          2.8