The allure of the precious metal that investors and collectors treasure has been with us since ancient times. Silver vases and silver ornaments have been unearthed at Troy, where ancient Grecian armies sacrificed their lives over one man’s passion for a lovely woman. Over three thousand years ago Pharaohs of the 19th Egyptian Dynasty even treasured silver as the substance of which the bones of Gods were composed.
As far back as 6,000 years ago, civilizations emerging from the mists of time already knew of silver’s ability to disinfect their water. Today, our best water treatment systems still use this rare mineral. By 3000 BC, the malleable properties of silver were well established, and craftspeople created works of art that our best 21st Century Silversmiths still covet.
In 6th Century BC times the refining art of silver cupellation increased the availability of silver to the point where Greece could express its immense wealth and military power through solid silver coinage. This was the first time that silver had been traded for its own intrinsic value. Twenty six centuries later, despite all our modern progress, we still do the same, albeit in the form of commodities at stock exchanges.
As the Christian Church evolved through earliest years of the first millennium, silver became the preferred metal for holy vessels in daily use. This tradition has continued unabated to this day, and the faithful still worship their holy eucharists in silver chalices, and on silver patens. In mediaeval times these eternal treasures were favored targets for Viking raiders, and are sometimes found in English fields where monks desperately hid them.
In 1673 AD an English King introduced the Ancient Scorton Silver Arrow Contest. There the archers on whom their nation depended greatly competed for a Silver Arrow Trophy. We continue to this day to hand our finest athletes floating prizes too – no silver prizes though for guessing of what the finest of these are made.
For century after century silver coins remained the preferred exchange medium for regular trading activities. This practice was only abandoned when the metal became so valuable that coins higher in intrinsic value were melted down instead of saved. Many of our modern coins still have a silvery appearance. This is more than simply habit. People still believe that everything that is silver, is pure and worthy to be acquired.
Today the world’s wealthiest people continue in this tradition by including silver in their investment portfolios, and dining with silver cutlery in their homes. While we know that shiny auto wheels, radiator grills and hood badges are not the genuine material any more, at least the Spirit of Ecstasy on the Rolls-Royce Phantom bonnet is still the real thing, albeit only on the outside.
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