where can you find silver

[McParker]

Hey there! That's a great question, and you can find silver in a couple of different ways: both in the earth and in everyday items you might have around you.

On a large, industrial scale, silver is mined from the Earth's crust. The world's leading silver-producing countries include Peru, Mexico, China, Australia, Chile, and Bolivia. Interestingly, silver is often found alongside other valuable metals. It's frequently extracted as a by-product when companies are mining for other materials like lead, zinc, copper, and gold.

Closer to home, you might be surprised to find silver in many common objects, often called "scrap silver." A great place to start looking is in old coin collections; for example, United States dimes, quarters, and half-dollars made before 1965 are 90% silver. You can also find it in jewelry, especially pieces marked as "sterling silver" or with a ".925" stamp. Another source is antique silverware or flatware, but you'll need to make sure it's solid sterling and not just silver-plated. Even old electronics can contain small amounts of silver in their circuit boards, contacts, and some batteries.