Five Star Review

The information presented in this Five Star Report has been reviewed and accepted by the marketing and
editorial staff of Old Glory Mint as informative, educational and credible. It was written by independent
sources and is presented herein with cited notation of the author. Thus stated, it should be understood that
these points are expressed as opinions. Old Glory Mint makes no representations as to the truthfulness or
accuracy of this article and hereby expressly waives any endorsement of this article.

16 of the Most Common, Yet Uncharted, Silver Uses Today

Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any metal while it has the lowest contact resistance
and yet it has the highest electrical conductivity. In 2007, 455.5 million ounces of silver were used
for industrial applications, while over 128 million ounces of silver were committed to the
photographic sector, 163.4 million ounces were consumed in the jewelry market, and 58.8 million
ounces were used in the silverware market.

Listed below are 16 of the most common uses of silver today:

1. Health and Hospitals
Silver is leading a revolution in technology and medicine. The white
metals unique bacteria-fighting qualities are becoming more and more
critical in healing conditions ranging from severe burns to
Legionnaires Disease. Because silver ions prevent bacteria and algae
buildup, silver is fast becoming part of water purification systems in
hospitals, small community water systems, pools and spas. The major
benefit is that silver replaces traditional germ-killing methods that
employ harsh, sometimes dangerous chemicals such as chlorine and
bromine. One of the most important uses of silver as a biocide is in
hospitals and other health care facilities because they grapple with
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a type of lifethreatening Staph germ. Also referred to as a superbug, MRSA is resistant to almost all
chemical antibiotics, so many hospitals are employing silver-imbedded equipment including
surgical tools, catheters, needles, stethoscopes, furniture, door handles and even paper files.
The most powerful treatment for burns is silver sulfadiazine, which is used in every hospital in
North America to promote healing and reduce infection. Everything from surgical threads to
bandages and dressings to doctors coats and catheters utilize small amounts of silver. In
hospitals as well as in common residences, silver in ductwork provides maximum sterile
atmosphere. One of the most promising applications is in silver-imbedded bandages for burn and
wound victims. The silver ions help prevent infection but also speed healing because the body
doesnt have to focus its energy on fighting infection.

2. Purification at Home, Work and Play

Silvers anti-bacterial powers have been tested and proven scientifically even
though its power as a bactericide has been known for centuries. The ancient
Phoenicians, for example, knew that water, wine or vinegar kept in silver
vessels stayed fresh during long sea voyages. Silver prevents bacteria growth
while being completely harmless to humans.
Currently were seeing a surge of applications for silver-based biocides in all
areas: industrial, commercial and consumer. New products are being
introduced almost daily that use silver laced elements to purify. Established
companies are incorporating silver based products in current lines spa and
pool filters, clothing, refrigerators, mobile phones, computers, washing
machines, vacuum clearers, keyboards, countertops, furniture handles and more.
An increasing trend is the millions of on-the-counter and under-the-counter water purifiers that
are sold each year in the United States to rid drinking water of bacteria, chlorine,
trihalomethanes, lead, particulates, and odor. Here silver is used to prevent the buildup of bacteria
and algae in the filters. Of the billions of dollars spent yearly in the U.S. for drinking water
purification systems, more than half make advantageous use of the bactericidal properties of
silver. New research has shown that the catalytic action of silver, in concert with oxygen,
provides a powerful sanitizer, virtually eliminating the need for the use of corrosive chlorine. The
newest trend is the use of nano-silver particles to deliver silver ions to assist in a more germ free
environment.
3. Electrically Charged
Silver is the best electrical conductor among all metals. Because its properties are non-corrosive,
its use in electrical and motor control switches is universal. A fully-equipped
automobile may have over 40 silver-tipped switches to start the engine, activate
power steering, brakes, windows, mirrors, locks and other electrical accessories. It
is widely used in everyday electronics, membrane switches, for circuit breakers, as
relays used in washing machines, timer switches, contacts, fuses, dryers,
automobile accessories, vacuum cleaners, electric drills and electrically heated
automobile windows. And at work in elevators, escalators, machine tools,
locomotives, marine diesel engines, oil-drilling motors and conductive adhesives.
4. Chemical Catalyst
Silver is also one of the few elements that improve the efficiency of chemical reactions. It is the
only catalyst that will oxidize ethylene gas into ethylene oxide, the building block for
polyester textiles used for clothing and specialty fabrics, and
melded items like computer keyboards, electrical
control knobs, domestic appliance components and
Mylar tape used for all audio, VCR and recording
tapes. Because of its resistance to pitting and tarnish, silver is used to coat CDs
and DVDs. Nanotechnology applications using silver as a catalyst in
manufacturing are ever growing in computers, communications, miniature
motors and switches.

5. Reflectants
Silvered windshields in homes, cars and office buildings reflect some 70% of the solar energy
that would otherwise pass through, thus reducing the load on air conditioners. The U.S.
Department of Energys Energy Star Program has spurred 50% increase in silver-coated glass in
recent years, translating to 350 million square feet of glass, or five million ounces of silver per
year.
6. Solar Cells
Photovoltaic systems are simple and provide immediately useful power with no pollution. These
relatively new energy sources use a silver paste as a base. 90 percent of all crystalline silicon
photovoltaic cells, which are the most common type of solar cells, contain significant amounts of
silver. The conductive silver, which also enhances reflection of the sunlight, is applied in the
form of a glass paste with a minimum of 90 percent silver along the top and across the bottom of
the silicon crystal.
Around the world, solar arrays are being tested for large and small-scale electricity production. In
Europe, photovoltaic systems commonly are used to power private
homes and local businesses. South Korea is constructing photovoltaic
electric power plants to provide significant sources of electricity for the
nations power grid. In the United States, nationwide stores such as
Macys and Wal-Mart are installing photovoltaic systems on the roofs of
their buildings to optimize up to 40 percent of their power needs.
All silicon cells used in space to power satellites use silver in the form of
evaporated metal to make the electrical contact.
7. Aviation Bearings
Silver is the ideal industrial material. No other metal has silvers unique qualities that combine
strength, malleability and ductility, or facilitates electrical and thermal conductivity as well, or
can reflect light and endure such extreme temperature changes. Jet engines of today and
tomorrow can depend on silver-coated bearings for their performance and safety. Steel ball
bearings electroplated with silver have greater fatigue strength and load carrying capacity than
any other type. These bearings are used in continuous, heavy-duty applications such as in jet
engines. Because steel has a poor coefficient of friction, placing a layer of silver between the
steel ball bearing and the housing reduces friction between the two, increasing the performance
and longevity of the engine. Despite high internal
temperatures, silver-coated bearings provide superior
performance and a critical margin of safety for engines.
Even in the event of an oil pump failure, silver-plated
bearings provide enough lubrication to allow a safe engine
shut-down before more serious damage can occur. All major
jet engine manufacturers utilize these high-performance
silver bearings, which provide critical fail-safe lubrication
required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

8. Printed Circuitry
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) use silver for connecting paths of
electronic circuitry. PCBs are essential to the electronics that
control the operation of aircraft, automobile engines, electrical
appliances, security systems, telecommunication networks, mobile
telephones, television receivers. Most computer keyboards use
silver membrane switches. For printed circuit boards, used in
consumer items from mobile phones to computers, silver-based inks and films are applied to
composite boards to creat electrical pathways. In similar fashion, silver-based inks produce socalled RFID tags (radio frequency identification) antennas used in hundreds of millions of
products to prevent theft and allow easy inventory control. They are also used in prepaid toll
road passes.
9. Superconductors
These low-current switches are also found in control panels of cable
television, telephones, and devices using digital electronics.
Superconductivity is the power transmission of the future and silver
makes it faster and more effective. Silver-jacketed superconducting oxide
wires can carry more than 140 times the electric load of copper wire with
less than 1 percent of the weight. This wire utilizes about 1,000 ounces of
silver per mile. Silver already improves performance at lighter weights
and size in cables, motors, generators and transformers.
10. Batteries
Silver oxide-zinc batteries provide higher voltages and longer life for such
consumer goods as quartz watches, cameras, and electronic tools. Their
high energy/weight ratio provides an optimum power and longevity model.
They are available in either very small sizes as button cells where the
amount of silver used is small and not a significant contributor to the
overall product costs, or in large custom design batteries where the superior
performance characteristics of the silver oxide chemistry outweigh cost
considerations.
11. Electroplating
The ease of electro-deposition of silver accounts for silvers widespread use in coating. The
plating thickness of some items, such as fuse caps, is less than one micron which assists in
retarding the oxidation that may occur. Coatings of two to seven microns are normal for heavy
duty electrical equipment.
12. Brazing & Soldering
Silver facilitates the joining of materials (called brazing when done at temperatures above 600
celsius and soldering when below) and produces naturally smooth, leak-tight and corrosionresistant joints. Silver brazing alloys are used widely in applications ranging from airconditioning and refrigeration equipment to power distribution equipment in the electrical
engineering sector. It is also used in the automobile and aerospace industries.

13. Photography
Although a wide variety of other technology is available, silver-based photography
will retain its pre-eminence due to its superior definition and low cost. From its
very outset, silver halide has been the material that records what is to be seen in
the photograph. As little as 4 photons of light activate silver halides which amplify
that incident light by a factor of one billion times. In todays photography, silver
halides are coupled with dyes that unify the colors of the world around us into a
permanent record. Approximately 5,000 color photographs can be taken using one
ounce of silver.
In addition, silver is used in the ever expanding X-ray applications. Even today with declining
use due to digital cameras and high-def printers, more than 100 million troy ounces of silver are
used worldwide for photographic purpose.
14. Silverware & Jewelry
Pure silver, also known for its 999 (three nines) fineness, is quite tarnish
resistant, but in its pure state, it is too soft for use in jewelry. Silversmiths often
alloy it with other metals, such as copper, to harden it. Sterling silver, for example,
is 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Sterling silver is a standard in many
countries for silver jewelry and has been since the 14th century.
Recently, silver has benefited from demand for the white look in jewelry which
mirrors fashionable designs of white gold - an alloy of gold and platinum and
palladium but at a lower price point.
15. Mirrors & Coatings
Silvers unique optical reflectivity, and its property of being virtually 100%
reflective after polishing, allows it to be used both in mirrors and in
coatings for glass, cellophane or metals. Everyone is accustomed to
silvered mirrors. What is new is invisible silver, a transparent coating of
silver on double pane thermal windows. This coating not only rejects the
hot summer sun, but also reflects inward internal house heat. A new double
layer of silver on glass marketed as low E squared is sweeping the
window market as it reflects away almost 95% of the hot rays of the sun,
creating a new level of household energy savings.
Over 250 million square feet of silver- coated glass is used for domestic
windows in the U.S. yearly and much more for silver coated polyester sheet
for retrofitting windows. Using a process called sputtering, silver can be
applied to glass at various thicknesses, allowing different amounts of light to penetrate. Mirrors
which need a superior reflectivity for visible light are made in a process called silvering, though
common mirrors are backed with aluminum.
Silver plating is used in a wide variety of additional applications from Christmas tree ornaments
to cutlery and hollowware

16. Coins
Silver, being a rare and noble metal, was a more desirable
medium of exchange than beads, feathers, shells, and the like.
Its use as a medium of exchange is known throughout all
recorded history. Silver coins, in the sense of having an
authenticating stamp on them and minted by an authority either public or private began to appear
in the eastern Mediterranean during 550 B.C. By 269 B.C. Rome adopted silver as part of its
standard coinage. Silver became the trading medium for merchants throughout the civilized
world. (Gold being reserved for governments and the wealthy.)
Today silver coins continue to be the medium of exchange wherever paper is not acceptable, for
example, in parts of Africa and the Middle East. One example of a trade coin is the Empress
Maria Theresia Taler, first minted in Austria in 1741. It was standardized in 1780 as 28 grams
and 833/1000 silver (the remainder copper). Some 370 million of these 1780 dated coins have
been minted up to 1996 and a large proportion remain in circulation today.
American Gold Reserve minted silver rounds in .999 fineness offer todays buyers the most
silver for their money. The 1 ounce Founding Fathers front and reverse piece is a beautiful
design. It is 31.1 grams and measures 39 mm.
Some final points to recognize. In 1900 there were 12 billion ounces of silver in the world. By
1990, the internationally respected commodities research firm CPM Group say that figure had
been reduced to around 2.2 billion ounces of silver. Today, that figure has fallen to less than 1
billion ounces in above ground refined silver. It is estimated that more than 90% of all the silver
that has ever been mined has been consumed by the global photography, technology, medical,
defense and electronics industries.
On current supply/demand trends, the amount of above ground refined silver is projected to
shrink to even lower levels in the coming years. Industrial demand has been outstripping mining
supply for most of the last 20 years, driving above ground supply to historically low levels. Few
in the investment world recognize or address this significant fact.
Silver production has been flat in recent years while demand has been increasing. This hasnt
resulted in significantly higher prices yet because the world has been able to fill the gap from
inventories and official government stockpiles.
However, today the U.S. governments stockpile is all but gone, and sales from other official
sources, such as China, Russia and India, are declining, too. The decline in refined silver stocks,
from around 2.2 billion ounces in 1990 to around 300 million ounces today means that silver
stocks are near an all time low. Published reports state that the world is currently producing a
paltry 709.6 million ounces of silver per year.
With the total annual silver demand for industrial applications, as cited in this report, at 352.2
million ounces or 49.6% one can only imagine the bottleneck that will occur as silver prices near
$60, $80 or even $150 an ounce.
SOURCE: www.silverinstitute.org
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