Alot of people are now making the smart decision to invest in Silver.  Many have watched their retirement funds dwindle.  One thing to always remember is that much of people's wealth is simply on paper.  Paper can easily be destroyed in seconds.  It is certainly analagous to what has occurred lately in the stock and real estate markets.  Afterall when you own a stock or even a piece of real estate you technically only own a piece of paper that says I own xx shares of comany yy or xx acres + building on parcel yy.  Certainly they are not as tangible as precious metals like gold and silver. 

It seems even our own government knows that how precious silver and gold can be which is why it has largely removed the metals from our currency.  History shows that silver in particular is a fantastic hedge against a fluctuating and often deteriorating economic reality.  Silver is noted for its portability and security.  Think of it this way.  If I own $10,000 in silver coins they are alot harder for someone to steal from me than a $10,000 Gold Bar would be.  If I am carrying around $10.00 in face value of silver coins in my pocket it raises far less eyebrows if I have to empty those pockets, than if I am carrying a 1903 $10.00 Gold Liberty Coin. 

Silver coinage also offers double the protection when you consider the numismatic premium attached to many coins.  The bottom could potentially drop out of the market but a scarce coin is still a scarce coin.  Holding it in coin form may offer you that additional protection.

As with all things history will ultimately be the judge.  Today we see silver returning to levels we have not seen since the early 1980's.  Since 1970 silver has fluctuated wildly but has never dropped below $1.00 an ounce.  Try saying that about stocks held in companies like General Motors and Citigroup!