10 ounce american eagels, page-7

Sunshine Minting struck 10 oz. .999 fine silver bar


Struck 999 fine silver bullion bars are popular because of their mirror-like finish and crisp raised markings, and the Sunshine Minting 10-oz struck silver bar is perhaps the most popular 10-oz silver bullion bar on the market. A Sunshine Minting silver bar measures 3-1/2" x 2" x 1/4".

The front carries the Sunshine Minting hallmark, an eagle flying through the sun, the bar's weight (ten troy ounces), and its purity (999 fine). The back identifies the mint: Sunshine Minting Inc.

Silver investors often confuse and understandably so Sunshine Minting with Sunshine Mining, which went into bankruptcy in early 2002. Sunshine Minting is an offshoot of Sunshine Mining. In 1994, the minting division of Sunshine Mining separated from the company and has operated independently since then as Sunshine Minting. Today, Sunshine Minting is one of the major suppliers of bullion products, including 100-oz bars, 1-oz rounds, and 1-oz ingots (bars). Additionally, Sunshine Minting produces the 1-oz silver planchets (blanks) that the U.S. Mint uses to stamp Silver Eagles.

(The collapse of Sunshine Mining illustrates the pitfalls of investing in mining companies. For more than 100 years, the company's name was synonymous with silver because of the famed Sunshine Mine, which is now mothballed. A few years ago, management borrowed huge sums of money, but low silver prices made it impossible to service the debt. As a result, creditors converted their debt to Sunshine stock, diluting shareholders to about 4% of their previous position. A few months after that, the creditors took for themselves out of the company a supposedly "world class" silver property in South America, leaving the "reorganized" Sunshine Mining and Refining Company only a shell. Although speculating in mining company stocks can be exciting, physical bullion offers investors much greater security.)

Call CMI at 1-800-528-1380 for answers to any questions or clarifications. Our hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, Mondays through Fridays. Our offices are in the middle of the Phoenix, Arizona financial district. CMI has had the same bank account since its inception in 1973. References available on request