Hello to all, New to all this silver shenanigans but am looking to stack long term for a pension hedge fund as am not getting any younger and the UK fiat money is on a downward spiral due to sovereign debt.. This UK debt mountain has me worried that the Gov may start to appropriate pension funds especially as they now force us to opt out every year if we don't want to save in a government sponsored scheme so physical PM's look better from where am sat right now though I will eventually take a pension plan of some kind solely due to tax and employer contributions. By the time I'm done I hope to have scavenged enough silver/Pm's to fill a couple of 3 gallon buckets though I have a long way to go and 30 years to scavenge! Got various bits of scrap and have been buying in old 925 silver from various places as its the only thing I can find VAT free anywhere near spot and I usually buy in at +/- 5% of daily silver spot. I do find the odd bit at below spot occasionally just don't ask where though I will say its not illegal Got one or two numi coins and a tatty 1907 British sovereign that I picked up cheap the other day though I find the mint marks for sov's most intriguing and we all have to start somewhere. I must admit I really gotta laugh at some of the stuff people are buying on fleabay at well over spot price, makes my wallet wince it does Btw does anyone know where I can avail myself of some Rhodium/Platinum plating services anywhere in the UK? (or have a good home brew method as I'm no stranger to nasty chemicals like aqua regia etc.) Only other thing I could use some advice on is how best to store my currently meager stack? Oh and if anyone needs some advice on how to test ingots and coins with ultrasound do ask as I used to calibrate ultrasound flaw detectors and thickness gauges so know plenty about it. Thought I would post on here as most of my mates think am pretty daft stacking pm's and mostly refuse to talk about them. BFN..
Welcome aboard! I just got myself a cheap ultrasonic thickness gauge so could use some of your help in future !
gday and welcome Phil I had an altercation with a DaSilva once and found out later he was a golden gloves of Mexico! Thank heavens it didnt come to blows!
Yeah gimme a shout or pm. May have to make an explanation/method thread as its simply about the speed sound travels through metal given that different metals have different densities/structures it logically follows that sound travels at different velocities through each of them which is the key indicator you need. A vernier caliper or micrometer is handy to verify thickness measurements as this verifies the other factors alongside the UT gauge, you will also need some 'Couplant Liquid' (usually Glycerin based) though oil or even saliva will do in a pinch. May have to get an ultrasound flaw detector myself, seems there's a few fakes about though plain old Aqua regia is ok for testing at the minute and much cheaper/appropriate for the junk sterling jewellery that comprises the bulk of my stack/purchases at the minute. @ Load of Bullion: My mates like to invest in fast & flashy cars in the hope it will increase the interest in their underpants!! Not the best method to protect ones wealth though 'wealth' can take many forms but am guessing large underpants isn't one of them!! Am now the proud owner of one slabbed PCGS MS70 Lunar Dragon series 2 coin, maybe not the best pm investment purchase but coins have piqued my interest somewhat and said Dragon is my Chinese birth sign, it also gives me a yardstick to compare with other coins as its very pretty and well defined detail wise being much better than the sunshine mint buffalo I got. Gotta say this whole VAT on silver thing is just pants and as for the new 20 GBP coin (insert angry emoticon) indeed whoever heard of paying the 'Queens Shilling' twice which makes me wonder if her majesty has been taking tips from certain fleabay sellers. Thanks for the replies all, I chose the moniker 'DaSilva' as it was my godparents surname and sort of fits with PM stacking
Welcome, yeah ebay seems a good place to sell but NOT to buy! But you have to remember ebay takes like 13%-18% for their cut with PP fees..
