Stash This Bullion Trivia Quiz

Answer: United Kingdom

Silver bullion is beautiful to look at whatever its design but there is a certain sense of majesty one feels when inspecting the UK's silver Britannia. The coin is so named as the statue of Britannia - a symbol or personification of the United Kingdom - boldly stretches across the reverse. Another symbol of Britain, the monarch, features on the obverse.

Answer: Mexico

The Mexican Libertad is minted by La Casa de Moneda de Mexico and these elegant silver coins have a point of distinction in that they have no face value but are still considered legal tender. On the obverse of the coin are the symbols of Mexico that you also see on the country's flag: a golden eagle, a cactus and a rattlesnake.

Answer: China

The Chinese Silver Panda bucks the trend of a piece of bullion weighing (multiples) of one Troy ounce (approximately 31g); the beautiful, and much sought after Chinese coin, weighs thirty grams, which is just shy of a Troy ounce and in a metric world feels like a more sensible approach.

Despite the Silver Panda containing less silver by weight than the bullion created by other countries, it can often be more expensive to purchase due to its desirability. The panda on the reverse of the coin changes each year.

Answer: United States

The United States Silver Eagle is a mainstay in any numismatic collection and is minted at sites in Philadelphia, San Francisco and nearby the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. As the name of the coin suggests, there is an eagle on the reverse. From 1986, this took the form of an heraldic eagle accompanied by shield and stars; in 2021 this was replaced by a bald eagle alongside the motto "E pluribus unum".

Answer: South Africa

The Krugerrand gives two hints as to its place of origin with Kruger referring to the president of the South African Republic (1883-1900), Paul Kruger, and rand a reference to the fiat currency of South Africa. On the reverse of the bullion is the springbok, a type of antelope that lends its name to the South African rugby union squad.

The Krugerrand was subject to import bans by a number of countries in reaction to apartheid policies and remains one of the more controversial choices of silver and gold bullion.

Answer: Armenia

The Noah's Ark is an elegant silver coin, full of religious iconography, that has a face value quantified in Armenian drams. The reverse of the coin depicts Noah's Ark at Mount Ararat with the sun shining and a dove carrying an olive branch. This iconography is inspired by the well-known stories from the book of Genesis and was selected for inclusion on Armenia's silver coins in large part because of Mount Ararat being a geographical feature of the country at various times in history.

Whilst Ararat does not currently fall within Armenia - the mountain is within Turkish borders - the religiously significant Mount Ararat can be viewed in all its splendour from Armenian settlements.

Answer: Canada

Canada is of course strongly associated with the maple leaf and the nation's government issues silver bullion with the maple leaf taking pride of place on the reverse. A lot of the world's silver bullion is 99.9% pure but the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf goes the extra mile and delights owners with a purity of 99.99%.

Answer: Australia

Not unsurprisingly, Australia celebrates its rich wildlife on its silver bullion whether it be a kookaburra, crocodile, kangaroo or koala, there is probably a silver coin with that animal displayed. The kookaburra is a firm favourite with collectors and the coins have been produced at the Perth Mint since the start of the 1990s.

The design of the Silver Kookaburra's reverse changes every year but the tree kingfisher remains the star.

Answer: Russia

The Central Bank of Russia issues the George the Victorious and the design of the silver bullion is inspired by the story of Saint George and the slaying of a dragon. Saint George and the Dragon dominates the reverse - there is no accompanying numismatic detail on the reverse of the coin at all. All the details are saved for the obverse alongside the Coat of Arms of Russia, a design that replaced the double-headed eagle in 2016.

Answer: Austria

It wouldn't be Austrian if there wasn't a nod to the classical! The Vienna Philharmonic (Wiener Philharmoniker) is steeped in the musical traditions of the Austrian capital with the reverse showcasing a rich variety of orchestral instruments such as the harp, violins, a bassoon and the Vienna horn. If that was not enough, the obverse continues the orchestral theme with a pipe organ taking pride of place. I confess, the Silver Vienna Philharmonic is a personal favourite!