The Royal Canadian Mint has unveiled the final design within the Canadian Wildlife Silver Bullion Coin series. This six coin series has celebrated Canada’s rich and abundant wildlife on limited mintage one ounce silver coins.
The 2013 Wood Bison Silver Bullion Coin features a depiction of the animal galloping in a display of strength and endurance. [Read more →]
The Chinese government began striking Silver Chinese Pandas in 1983 (Gold in 1982). 2013 marks the 30th edition of the Panda Silver Coin Series mint by the People’s Bank of China (proper name for the Central Bank of China). No silver Pandas were issued in 1986.
^ The first Silver Panda, Panda 1983
In 1983 that 10,000 Proof Silver Pandas were minted. The coin had a 10 Yuan denomination. It weighed 27 Grams of 90% Silver purity. Compare that silver weight and purity to today’s 31.1 Grams (or 1 troy ounce) of .999 Silver Pandas. [Read more →]
Testing for gold purity can be done by sending it to your nearby goldsmiths or jewelry retail shops. However, testing the purity of your silver coins or bars may not be so simple. Let us share the steps involved in having an assay office to test silver coins or bars.
FEDMAS Assay Office Sdn Bhd had a rapid assessment of metal products. They have 3 offices in Malaysia, namely in Johor Bahru, KL and Penang as their main office. They are able to test for gold and silver purity. For more details, go to FEDMAS website.
We will share with your our experience having our “Scottsdale ‘The One’ 1oz Silver Bar” tested by the branch in KL. It is advisable to call in advance to make an appointment for your test. We were advised that the KL branch prefers afternoon period for walk-ins.
^ Located along Jalan Kelang Lama
Location of the KL branch is along Jalan Kelang Lama, behind Wisma Rockwills. You will have to come from PJ direction, slow down when you reach the Esso Petrol Station and turn left immediately after the Police Station. Do take note as this junction is easily missed, because it is blocked by many cars parked by the kerbside. Be warned that finding a parking spot near the office is just as good as striking a lottery, patience will be tested.
[Read more →]
Blanking, extruding, minting, these may be jargons to many of us, yet they are common terms in metal work industry. Silver, a precious metal, is soft and easier to work on, compared to the other industrial metal. When you are holding your American Eagles or Canadian Maples, all of them went through similar processes. Let us explore what are the steps involves in minting silver coins.
1. Melt
Coins’ life journey began underground, where miners bring them up from the ground and minting factories bring them in as ores. Another major source of silver today is from recycled sources, such as old picture/x-ray films & electronics. As you can see from the video, they used the sides of the blanked-pieces and re-melt them, resulting in almost zero-waste production.
Pure silver’s melting point is 962 °C (1763.5 °F) thus to be safe, minters heats them to over 1093°C (2000 °F). The solid silver will then melts into red hot liquid form. Then it is poured into billets, into a form or size depending on the factory’s machinery capabilities. Thus the shapes and sizes of the billets varies from one to another.
[Read more →]
Information is now available for the 2013 Pronghorn Antelope Silver Bullion Coin, the fifth of six issues in the popular Canadian Wildlife silver bullion coin series.
The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled the 2013-dated coin at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money Fair in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 9, 2012.
Per the Mint’s news release, the pronghorn antelope is a true North American symbol, with herds of them live in areas stretching from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada all the way down to the Baja Peninsula and parts of Northern Mexico.
[Read more →]
Please make your own assessment of the relevance, accuracy and adequacy of the information contained in this Blog. You are advised to make your independent investigations as may be necessary or appropriate for the purpose of such assessment including the investment risks involved.