Physically owning silver means that the investor takes delivery of the silver and is responsible for storing it and for its safety. In this case, the investor takes physical delivery of the silver bullion and either stores it in a safety deposit box or in some other secure location.

When an investor purchases bullion in bar form, the price paid for an ounce of silver will not be the same price as the spot price, which is the current price of silver in the market, because there are producers or resellers who must make a profit. The company that produces the silver bar will charge more than the spot price to cover production costs and the company reselling the bar will raise the price to allow for their profit margin. In general, it is cheapest to purchase silver bars from a company that produces silver bars such as a mint.

Several mints can be located through the Internet if the investor searches for one that manufacturers and sells silver bullion to the public. Most mints also manufacture and sell bars of gold, platinum, and palladium that also are available for purchase. Purchasing from a mint is usually as simple as creating an account, browsing through their products, choosing a payment method, and submitting the order.