Hi all, I'm very new to stacking, still working towards my first kilogram, made up mostly in smallish denominations. One thing I'd like to know is whether I should hold off and look at making purchases of larger bars, rather than incrementally accumulate? For example, will it be harder to shift a large amount of 1oz bars rather than an equal weight in the 10oz form? Also, with regards to authenticity - I have dabbled with ancient numismatics in the past and have found forgeries to be a constant problem for ancient coin collectors. What is this issue like for silver stackers? I am happy to stack low premium silver as a pure investment in PM, but when I sell, do other buyers generally get it tested? Will it be at their expense, or mine? What things should I consider when choosing the type of silver to invest in? thanks, Chris.
1---Welcome to SS. 2---1oz bars and 10oz bars are both pretty liquid. 3---Bullion forgeries/counterfeits/copies are everywhere and they're a serious problem. I think testing is mostly limited to weighing, visual inspection, measurement and (maybe) specific gravity testing but testing isn't really all that common in the circles I travel in. Personally, I rely largely (and maybe too much) on the integrity and diligence of the sources I buy from. If anything, I'd suggest extreme caution if you're daring enough to buy through eBay. The 'Bay is the #1 global refuge, safe haven and marketing venue for all the scammers on the planet. I know there are a lot of decent, legitimate vendors there, but I find it difficult to keep sight of that fact when I consider the large numbers of scammers operating there.
1,2,5 oz bullion coins from P.mint close to spot don't like bars, they are liquid but mostly lack numismatic premium ... when to buy?! wait for "the year of the horse" and load the truck with 1 oz coins
Welcome to the "club" Chriskat Some of that will depend on the price of silver at the time you want to trade it back out, some will depend on the circumstances (i.e. economic meltdown/problems etc). Honestly, 1oz units are technically almost always a better bet from that point of view, simply because they keep your options open. Consider the price of silver may be very high, and then consider that if your smallest unit is 10oz, then you are limiting yourself to buyers who will want 10oz or more only, rather than folks looking for smaller amounts. Will this be a problem? I wish I knew! The flip side to this, is, of course, the fact that you'll pay a higher premium on 10 x 1oz coins/bars than 1 x 10oz coin/bar. It's a measured decision - for what it's worth, I make sure I hold a minimum of about 15% of my silver in 1oz units, the rest can be whatever is required/cheap/available (with some "rules" I will touch on in a moment). I will say this, and preface this by saying I respect others may disagree, even vehemently. In my humble opinion, it comes down to what you're stacking for - in my own personal view, I envisage that I will eventually be swapping my precious metals for other assets, and potentially very likely swapping it with people who know little about precious metals. I live in Australia, and I envisage these swaps to be taking place here. On that basis, anything that goes into my stack has the following criteria applied (by me) at the time of purchase: - Does it clearly say "Australia"? - Does it clearly show a recognised Australian manufacturer whos veracity and integrity is easy to establish? - Does it clearly show weight and purity? If an item meets these criteria, I'm happy to buy it. In reality, I stick to Perth Mint stuff, and pretty much nothing else - I figure it absolutely has to be the best for the circumstances I envisage to be using it for (yes, I know there are others who may fit the requirements), but I figure the Perth Mint stuff would have to be the most widely known, easily recognisable, and thus most "liquid" when needed. Happy stacking!
I'd buy as much as I could for the money (meaning bars) from a reputable dealer face to face (no postage)
I tend to stick with 1 ounce stuff.. coins, bars and rounds I have the odd 2 ounce 5 ounce and 10 ounce I tend not to check coins and bars i get from dealers. But buying from ebay you need to have a large check list to check out your items I'd suggest you get a few things if you haven't already 1. a good set of scales 2. something to measure with .. either calipers or a descent rule 3. a neodymium (rare earth) magnet. I use a n42 tiny 6mm x 1mm round for the slide test and touch test 4. Know your item. Know the specification (weight and dimensions) 5. I also use the free app (ping test) for checking eagles and Krugerrands Also research your item.. Knowledge is power Hope that helps
Welcome to the forum. For a newbie my advice is to keep things VERY SIMPLE. Look out for best prices on popular coins - all Perth Mint, Canadian Maples, American Eagles etc. Avoid eBay for now and buy from dealers or from this forum. Stick to one ounce coins. Year doesn't matter - look for closest to spot. You are lucky beginning your mission right now; be thankful you didn't pile in during 2011 like some of us - it makes your eyes water ! Once you have gained familiarity with coins and got more experience, venture out and buy whatever you fancy. Stacking can be addictive so be careful and only buy what you can afford and afford to loose !!
Can't agree more. In few months I've spent almost all of my "golden" USD reserve! Actually now I have less dollars than when I was dunno 15 years old... Crazy. But (sadly) people are beings that learn most from damages and looses which will "carry" themselves, not by observing others. So be cool as silver and don't follow my footsteps. Buy each month same amount of coins for approximately same amount of money. And then increase this if you want. Or spend everything now and cut your Visas and Master Cards on half, disable PayPal and feeBay accounts. Make your own plan and vision and try to follow them. Godspeed!
What sort of detector are you referring to? I have tried to hunt around for something like that, but just not found one. Any info is appreciated. Oh...and "Welcome ChrisKat"!
I'm going to disagree with most on here but I think you are one lucky sob the price right now is a perfect time to buy at a great rate. I would suggest that if you are in the game purely as investment buy as big as you can afford and reap the benefits of a lower spot. As time continues and the price increases lower the sizes to kilo, to 20 ounces to ten to one ounce coins. This will mean you will have some easy sells should you require some quick cash, but also when you exit the game you have some big kickers that you got at both a cheap rate and a small premium. I don't know why people stress about larger size purchases I have never had an issue and in today's modern world with eBay gum tree and forums such as these their will always be a buyer. My two cents but why waste the gift of a rate that most dream we entered the game at.
