I have seen .999 pure silver rounds made by the "United States of
America" for sale on ebay. The must have been minted by the US Mint,
but the US Mint does not sell them on their web site. Where do they
come from, and how can I buy them?

deathrattle..

Thanks for your question.  Silver rounds are usually an ounce (though
they can be more) that has been minted to represent a specific design
or theme.  The majority of these rounds are minted by private mints
and can be made for almost any theme.  Many of these are minted to
look like American currency, but they are not negotiable as currency. 
The only silver bullion coins whose weight and purity are guaranteed
by the US Government are American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins. This
coin has a $1 face value.  They can be purchased in proof form from
the U.S. Mint at http://catalog.usmint.gov/

There are several places where you can purchase silver rounds in
either blank form for minting or with various designs:

SilverRounds
http://www.silverrounds.com/

Silver Superior Coins
http://www.silversuperiorcoins.com/bullion.html

Silver State Coin and Bullion
http://www.silverstatecoin.com/page2.html

Silver Traders
http://www.silver-traders.com/silver.htm

Chipman Coins
http://chipmancoins.com/

Thanks again for your question.  If you need any additional
clarification, please let me know.

Regards,

-THV

Search Strategy:
.999 pure silver rounds

References:

A Guide to Physical Silver Investments
http://www.numismaticproperties.com/silver-guide.htm

US Bullion Exchange
http://www.usbullionexchange.com/silver.htm#silver1

Unites States Mint
http://www.usmint.gov

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Request for Answer Clarification by deathrattle11-ga on 27 Dec 2002 17:16 PST

They are also called trade rounds, and they are made by the us government.

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Request for Answer Clarification by deathrattle11-ga on 27 Dec 2002 17:20 PST

They are also called trade units, are 1 Oz of .999 silver and are made
by the US government.

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Clarification of Answer by tar_heel_v-ga on 27 Dec 2002 17:46 PST

It sounds as if you are referring to silver trade units and they are
not minted by the US Mint. While they may say United States of America
or E Pluribus Unum, and even look like US coins, they are not minted
by the US Mint. I looked at all the Ebay auctions advertising Trade
Unit Rounds and none of them are minted by the US Mint.