I get the vibe from a lot of the posts here that the majority stack gold and silver due to the turbulent economic conditions around the world and the increasing debt mountain. Does anyone here buy because they actually like metals as a collective or decorative item? Or is the prospect of a boom in price the only aspect to your purchase? I know I have payed a bit more for a better looking bar or coin if i like the design.
Stacking = Saving cash. For those like myself who suck at saving $ ...... being able to buy PM's is a great form of savings/retirement for later in life.
This may or may not be the case. Take a look at the Kitco spot charts for the last five years. Yikes! If you're a serious stacker with a big stack and you can look at the 5-year charts without getting seriously depressed, I can't imagine why. On the other hand --- If you're a newbie and just starting to stack right now... That's probably (?) a good thing. There isn't too much room left between present silver spot and where you'll have to pay people to take it off of of your hands. At this point Beanie Babies and Hummel figurines make almost as much sense as silver bullion. Right now, I suspect slabbed/graded classic numismatic coins make more sense than bullion (?)... Under any circumstance, I do nonetheless feel confident of one thing --- "low mintage", "special" issue commemorative "coins" with paint jobs and chips of semi-precious minerals or colored glass that cost several times spot will continue to be a bad place to park money. They may be pretty, but the chances of getting 4x or 5x of spot back out of them when the executor of your estate tries to resell them are squat.
Thanks, Fat Freddy, for those lovely positive vibes. I stack firstly for the same reason as -j-p-shmorgan - can't stack cash, spends far too easy. And I like having a pile of old coins (pre-dec silver - can't do much damage here) to just handle, put in piles and fart arse around with - it's fun. I like to pile round 50s in their tubes - I'd like a thousand, but when I get there, I know I'll be liking 5000. I like the idea that, if the world economy goes crash, I may, after the dust has settled, still be able to buy bread in my retirement, rather than begging for it. I like old gold & silver coins, because they are history But probably most of all, I have a tendency to OCD - I have stacks of this and stacks of that worth squat. Stacking PMs allow me to indulge being OCDish, but at the end of the day, still have potential value that I might cash in
I have been stacking for the past 4 yrs or so and the reason ............................. I loooooove loosing money
Only good for the quick flip Buy Friday night & should be sold by the next morning And isn't the Japanese symbol for war ,2 women under 1 roof I'd hate to have 2 under my roof for more than 24 hours
I've posted this before but I was left a stack of 90% silver by my great grandmother. She amassed the silver at face value so it didn't cost her much but it is worth much more than face value now. So stacking seemed really interesting to me. I like having something I can hold in my hands instead of on a computer screen. Also, maybe this is a bit conservative and even old fashioned but I think having gold and silver is a good cornerstone to wealth building. They aren't income producing like stocks and bonds or possibly real estate but I think over the course of many years they are a safe investment to have in the portfolio.
It maybe more luck that the Newbies are only starting now. I have seen many discussions of people in the last 5 years where people get into gold and silver only to give up after a year or two because the price did not go to the moon in that time frame. I think I have held on so long only because I actually like fondling my silver.
Well, this is one place where you can share that and not be thought a pervert ... Just had a bundle of round 50s arrive and can't wait to fondle them
I'm a prepper. I also stack hardwood, gas and gear. I keep other well machined metals with a blue patina as well.
The reason people stack might be primarily financial but you only have to look at the price of old perth mint bars or YPS products to see that people really do love the metal and the history and aesthetics of stacking as well. Otherwise it would all be about how close to spot you can get your metal, paying $500 for a 1oz PM bar tells me that those considerations aren't foremost for the connoisseur.