2014 August Silver of the Month
With the 2014 version of the FIFA World Cup™ recently wrapping up, professional soccer leagues around the world in full swing (including Major League Soccer, or MLS, in the U.S.), and the familiar site of thousands of youth across the United States heading out to the soccer fields to begin their seasons, we have selected as the August 2014 SilverTowne Silver of the Month the silver soccer medallion. Shipping free for the entire month of August, the Soccer 1oz .999 Silver Medallion features a classic soccer ball, with inter-locking panels, in front of a corner flag sporting the word SOCCER on it.
Soccer is often referred to as the most popular sport in the world, which is certainly supported by a 2001 FIFA® survey which determined that more than 240 million people in over 200 countries regularly play the game. Soccer, more commonly referred to as football around the world, is also said to have the highest global television audience of any sport.
The game of soccer as it’s known today evolved out of many similar games that were played throughout ancient history – however there is no single game that is credited as the basis for soccer. The history of football, in one form or another, in England can be dated back to at least the eighth century. Over time, as the rules were developed, the type of football that became known as soccer began to be referred to as association football in order to distinguish it from other forms of football, like rugby football.
The term soccer itself first appeared in England in the 1880s as an Oxford abbreviation of the word association. The game today is referred to mainly as soccer in the United States and Canada, with soccer and football used interchangeably by several other countries, such as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
The first official international soccer (association football) match was held in 1872, when England played Scotland in Glasgow. English teams have also competed for the FA Cup, the oldest official soccer competition, since 1872. In an effort to determine a standard set of rules, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was formed in 1886. The first organized soccer league was formed a few years later in 1888 in Birmingham.
The IFAB continues to be the official guardian organization for the rules of soccer, known as The Laws of the Game. These rules are adhered to by the aforementioned FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), which was formed in 1904 in Paris to oversee international competition among various associations of football. Beginning with 7 member associations, the organization now includes 209 national associations. FIFA is perhaps best known as the governing body of the World Cup, which began in 1930, with the related Women’s World Cup having launched in 1991. The World Cup has crowned a champion every four years since 1930 - with the exception of 1942 and 1946, when the tournament was cancelled due to World War II.
The reverse of the Soccer 1oz .999 Silver Medallion is engravable, making it easy to personalize. The back of the medallion also includes the inscription ONE TROY OUNCE .999 FINE SILVER. If your goal is to add a variety of designs to your silver stacks, be sure you score the silver soccer medallion with free shipping during the month of August!
Whatever designs you choose, just keep stacking the silver!
Silver of the Month:
Based on customer feedback, the SilverTowne Silver of the Month allows you to add a variety of designs to your silver stacks with a different featured design offered with free shipping each month. As most investors in precious metals know, an ounce of silver is an ounce of silver – but many people like to have different designs in their silver stacks. After all, if you’re going to hold physical silver, why not make it fun and interesting as well as practical? By offering free shipping on a different featured design each month, we hope you will be able to add exciting new designs to your silver collection!
