Bullion metals may be cast into ingots or minted into coins

A metal is deemed to be precious if it is rare. The discovery of new sources of ore or improvements in mining or refining processes may cause the value of a precious metal to diminish. Precious metals in bulk form are known as bullion, and are traded on commodity markets. Bullion metals may be cast into ingots or minted into coins. So we can usually have silver or gold gold price per gram or coins. The defining attribute of bullion is that it is valued by its mass and purity rather than by a face value as money. It should also be mentioned that many nations mint their own bullion coins. These commemorative coins are minted on different occasions. Although nominally issued as legal tender, these coins face value as currency is far below that of their value as bullion. Bullion coins minting by national governments gives them some numismatic value in addition to their bullion value, as well as certifying their purity. Bullion coins are collected by coin collectors and function as good and valuable for all coin lovers. It is worth mentioning that silver coins have become very popular with collectors due to their relative affordability. So they are more often valued simply as collectables, far higher than their actual bullion value.