First off, to be clear, buying silver is not exactly “investing”.
Based on what you’ve described here, you may want a few 1 oz coins, but it sounds like what you’re really interested in is junk silver.
Education is always good. First, see the basics about precious metals.
As for where to get it, I would first check around local places. Call up any gold & silver dealers in the area that you could visit and ask if they sell junk silver, what types (i.e. what coins), and what they charge.
The reason I suggest this is because you’ll be able to physically inspect the coins before you buy. Second, you can avoid any shipping cost. And third, you can buy in smaller quantities.
If you have at least $500, I would call up Peter Schiff’s company and talk to them about buying a bag. I’ve dealt with them before, they’re very professional, and I trust them (as well as Schiff himself). See here. (scroll to bottom for junk silver bag).
I would also give a call to this CMI company. But here’s the thing with it:
The CMI site is interesting. Almost too good. With just a cursory look-through, it all looks like accurate info/advice. The “essential reading” list is almost entirely Austrian texts…basically all sold in the Mises Store, actually. My issue with it is the fact that I don’t think I’ve really heard much about it. And as a precious metals company spreading decent info and Austrian economics literature and websites (see the “industry links” at the bottom of the page), I would think I would have heard of it.
It bothers me that I hadn’t until only recently when someone sent me a link. It makes me wonder if it’s not a legitimate company and is simply trying to appeal to a specific demographic of potential buyer (or in a scammer’s case, mark). Even still, it’s certainly worth a call. I would at least hear what they have to say. They seem very open, and the number and hours of operation are prominently displayed all over the site, so they may very well be straight.
Shop those recs and compare the deals. They may even be flexible and work with you on lower delivery costs or maybe even smaller orders. If you can afford a bag, I’d definitely lean toward EuroPacMetals, just because I know them, and their pricing is fair (usually among the lower end). If the CMI pricing is wayyy lower, I’d be interested to talk more about it.
Obviously compare those to eBay as well. If you can find some ebay deals that are way lower (even including shipping), and the seller has a good rep score, I wouldn’t feel very concerned buying that way either.