Silver Price History
50+ years of silver price data, from the Hunt Brothers squeeze to the Reddit silver movement. Decade-by-decade analysis with interactive charts.
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Silver Price by Year (1971–2025)
LBMA annual average price per troy ounce in USD
| Year | Avg Price (USD/oz) | YoY Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s — End of Silver Standard & Hunt Brothers Era | |||
| 1971 Silver removed from U.S. coinage in 1965 | $1.55 | — | |
| 1972 | $1.68 | +8.4% | |
| 1973 Oil crisis; commodity prices surge | $2.56 | +52.4% | |
| 1974 Inflation drives hard-asset demand | $4.71 | +83.6% | |
| 1975 | $4.42 | -6.2% | |
| 1976 | $4.35 | -1.6% | |
| 1977 | $4.62 | +6.2% | |
| 1978 Second oil crisis begins | $5.40 | +16.9% | |
| 1979 Hunt Brothers accumulate silver | $11.09 | +105.4% | |
| 1980s — Post-Squeeze Collapse & Disinflation | |||
| 1980 Hunt Brothers peak; Silver Thursday crash | $20.63 | +86.0% | |
| 1981 | $10.52 | -49.0% | |
| 1982 Volcker recession | $7.95 | -24.4% | |
| 1983 | $11.44 | +43.9% | |
| 1984 | $8.14 | -28.8% | |
| 1985 | $6.14 | -24.6% | |
| 1986 | $5.47 | -10.9% | |
| 1987 Black Monday crash | $7.01 | +28.2% | |
| 1988 | $6.53 | -6.8% | |
| 1989 | $5.50 | -15.8% | |
| 1990s — Bear Market Low | |||
| 1990 | $4.83 | -12.2% | |
| 1991 Silver hits 20-year low | $4.04 | -16.4% | |
| 1992 | $3.94 | -2.5% | |
| 1993 | $4.30 | +9.1% | |
| 1994 | $5.28 | +22.8% | |
| 1995 | $5.15 | -2.5% | |
| 1996 | $5.19 | +0.8% | |
| 1997 Warren Buffett buys 130M oz | $4.89 | -5.8% | |
| 1998 | $5.54 | +13.3% | |
| 1999 Tech bubble diverts investment | $5.22 | -5.8% | |
| 2000s — Bull Market & Financial Crisis | |||
| 2000 | $4.95 | -5.2% | |
| 2001 9/11 attacks; recession | $4.37 | -11.7% | |
| 2002 | $4.60 | +5.3% | |
| 2003 Iraq War begins | $4.88 | +6.1% | |
| 2004 | $6.67 | +36.7% | |
| 2005 | $7.31 | +9.6% | |
| 2006 Silver ETF (SLV) launches | $11.55 | +58.0% | |
| 2007 | $13.38 | +15.8% | |
| 2008 Financial crisis; safe-haven demand | $14.99 | +12.0% | |
| 2009 Fed launches QE1 | $14.67 | -2.1% | |
| 2010s — Near-Record Rally & Decline | |||
| 2010 QE2 drives precious metals higher | $20.19 | +37.6% | |
| 2011 Silver hits $49.51; near 1980 record | $35.12 | +73.9% | |
| 2012 | $31.15 | -11.3% | |
| 2013 Taper tantrum; metals crash | $23.79 | -23.6% | |
| 2014 | $19.08 | -19.8% | |
| 2015 Fed rate hikes; dollar strength | $15.68 | -17.8% | |
| 2016 Brexit vote | $17.14 | +9.3% | |
| 2017 | $17.05 | -0.5% | |
| 2018 Trade war; rate hikes | $15.71 | -7.9% | |
| 2019 | $16.21 | +3.2% | |
| 2020s — Pandemic, Reddit Squeeze & Recovery | |||
| 2020 COVID crash to $12; sharp recovery | $20.55 | +26.8% | |
| 2021 Reddit WallStreetBets silver squeeze | $25.14 | +22.3% | |
| 2022 Fed hikes; dollar strength | $21.73 | -13.6% | |
| 2023 Banking crisis; safe-haven flows | $23.35 | +7.5% | |
| 2024 Industrial + investment demand surge | $28.27 | +21.1% | |
| 2025 Solar and EV demand accelerate | $31.50 | +11.4% | |
24h Change
24h Range
Bid / Ask
All-Time High
Silver Price Through the Decades
Silver's price history is among the most dramatic of any commodity, marked by speculative squeezes, monetary demonetization, industrial demand shifts, and extreme volatility. From the Hunt Brothers' legendary corner in 1980 to the Reddit-fueled squeeze of 2021, silver has repeatedly produced explosive price moves that dwarf most other asset classes.
For centuries, silver functioned as the backbone of global monetary systems. The United States operated on a bimetallic gold-silver standard until 1873, when the Coinage Act effectively demonetized silver. Silver advocates called this the "Crime of '73." Silver coinage continued in circulation until 1965, when the U.S. Mint removed silver from dimes and quarters due to rising metal values.
This long monetary history underpins silver's enduring perception as real money alongside gold.
The Hunt Brothers saga of 1979-1980 remains the defining event in silver price history. Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt accumulated an estimated 100-200 million ounces, cornering roughly half the world's deliverable supply and driving prices from under $6 to nearly $50 per ounce. The subsequent crash on Silver Thursday, March 27, 1980, saw silver lose half its value in a single day after exchanges imposed liquidation-only trading rules.
In the decades since, silver has experienced several major cycles. It bottomed near $3.50 in the early 1990s, surged to $49.51 in 2011 during the post-financial-crisis commodity boom, crashed to $12 during the COVID panic of March 2020, and saw renewed retail interest during the 2021 WallStreetBets silver squeeze. Throughout these cycles, industrial demand has grown steadily, with solar energy, electronics, and electric vehicles now consuming over half of annual silver production.
Data provided by MetalCharts, a free precious metals tracking platform offering real-time prices, interactive charts, historical data, and portfolio tools for gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and copper. Prices sourced from major global exchanges including COMEX, LBMA, and LME, updated continuously during market hours.
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