I know that there is tons of silver that being collected by stackers. I do understand that this silver comes in different forms (rounds, coins(Eagles, Maples), bars, 90% Silver Coins (Pre 1965), etc. AND that each type has a different markup over spot. I would like to hear what folks are collecting and why? What is the logic behind choosing that as opposed to the others?
easily recognized bullion mostly due to the liquidity and lower premiums. Lunars, kooks, PM bars. Also fiddy rounds
For me: Bullion. I don't have the time to follow the coins and other cool stuff. I can appreciate rare stuff when people show and explain to me, but as I'm time poor, it's simple to grab bullion.
I stack primarily generic silver. Hey, silver is silver. 1oz Mercury Dimes, 10oz Bars, etc. I've got a few silver eagles, and plan on getting some kooks if the prices drop down again though.
I'm pretty new to stacking but I'm into pre-decimal at the moment. Would love to get some US junk but pretty hard to come by at a reasonable price.
Just started but am buying Perth mint Bullion coins with a few ASE and Maples Mainly buying Perth mint coins because the premium is hardly anything over small bars and cheaper than other legal tender for me. I bought 2015 kooks cheaper than 2014 ASE,s I have bought a few others for interest sake and a few Southern cross 1oz bars but i will be sticking to Perth mint bullion coins because I live near the mint and there are just way too many fakes which is just going to get worse, if it gets too bad I will buy on release before they are copied and in between buy from a trusted bullion dealer. Makes no sense to me when a generic round or bar costs as much and sometimes much more than a legal tender bullion coin?
I do not choose it. It chooses me. It takes one look at me, and says, "You are going to buy me. Maybe right this moment, or maybe later. You know it, and I know it. At some point, though, you are going to give me a new home. Understood?" Alas, I am under its spell, and I must obey...
I just purchase whatever I feel like at the moment. My goal is to stack and I'm keeping to my goal as long as I'm adding more to my stack. Been buying more collector coins until the price settles and then I will start buying more Goverment Bullion and Generic coins again
Numis when price is stable, kilos when price is down. Nothing if the price has risen since last purchase, put money aside for later. Purchase every two weeks to the value of what is left of my paycheck. Stack is mostly PAMP and Perth Mint, with a few NZ mint numis and SS freedom girls.
I buy mainly numismatic coins, American silver eagles, and Perth Lunar series coins. These tend to increase in value over time, even if silver if flat or declining.
I favor government bullion coins with minimal numi value. I try to keep my numi and my stacking as separate as I can. I also would rather pay a little more for peace of mind with government backed bullion vs generic rounds. I might get a bar or two at some point. If I do it'll be RCM or Perth for the same reason.
Junk silver whenever it is close to spot price. 1 oz lunars either directly from the Perth Mint on release or a few months after release from the dealers. Generic bars or "buy-backs" when spot is low. Coins or bars with interesting new features, like the Stacker rounds (1 of each) the radial lines on the Canadian Maple, The latent images on the Scottsdale reserve rounds etc. A current year kook and koala to add to the incomplete set of Kooks and Koalas. Anything being discounted while I am putting in an order for other things. Things I have chosen not to stack... Past years' versions of a current series (sure there is a thrill in completing a set of Series 2 lunars but that would mean going back and paying a high premium on the secondary market to get coins I missed) You end up getting 90% of the series for a decent price but massively over paying just to get the last 10%. This is why I have a few kookaburras, mostly remints because they were a decent price, but nothing of the modern versions. A few of the earlier Kangaroos which I can get for $40 but none of the later ones which cost $80. None of the hyped coins, I never get around to selling any of them and by the time I do in about 20 years' time, is anybody going to care about the Gods of Olympus coins with the black paint wash? Things I am not stacking but I really should... The different sized Lunars, in particular the boring ones. I always get a roll, or at least a half roll, of the 1oz size because they are 'limited', the other sizes might not be limited but there are less of them and the resale premiums seem to be much higher than the 1oz. Plus most people can put together a set of the 1oz and there are plenty of other sellers of the 1oz size. But after people have put together a set of the 1oz they turn to the different sizes and realise that these are harder to find, less on the market and more of a 'prize' when you can complete a set. This is more so for a boring creature like a mouse because fewer people wanted them at the time but as soon as the Dragon comes out everybody gets excited and wants to start putting together sets from previous years. Goats are pretty dull animals, I should really be putting together some sets of the various sizes of lunar coins while spot is low.
I know some people are turning off the generics for this reason but are you feeling threatened by the new generation of perth mint/RCM/etc. knock offs? I know theoretically they are covered by some pretty serious counterfeiting laws but a quick look at eBay, even sellers in Australia makes you wonder whether it's got much traction. I don't mean to be negative about your choices, I'm genuinely interested to gauge your reaction to the problem.
phrenzy, China sucks doesn't it? They'll rip off anything they can and be the first to cry foul when someone rips them off. I almost exclusively buy from the larger dealers for most of my stuff (or ebay with paypal so I can file a claim). Because of that I'm not too worried about fakes. They are very disappointing though aren't they? If I bought from smaller stores or from folks I didn't know yeah I'd be worried fakes; I am worried about them with generics. The other thing with a lot of generic stuff is that they have a lot of trendy stuff on them at fairly high premiums. Some of the less trendy rounds lack the balance and artistry in my opinion that coins have. How will buyers in 30 years feel about Zombies and death debt stuff all over the round? How will they feel about those rather plain Sunshine Mint or APMEX rounds? I'd rather not try to guess future fashions and stick with things that are a little more traditional even if it is a little boring. Just my take though YMMV. Cheers
I'm also new to this and originally chose ASEs and Maples simply because they're the most widely recognized. I'm thinking about selling when I am buying. I don't want to have to learn the ins and outs of a specific sect of silver collectors when the time comes. But now that I'm not AS new, I'm thinking I should just buy buffalo rounds and save some money. They're widely recognized and about as cheap as coins get. Dunno why but I'm not interested in bullion bars unless it's at least 10oz.
After initially going for all the pretty coins and trying to fill sets I woke up to myself, Now whatever is cheapest, Generic rounds?bars or 10 oz bars ideally..
Is it safe to assume that any coins purchased from a reputable dealer online will be authentic? By reputable I mean (Provident Metals, JM Bulllion, Silver,com, Apmex, etc) I am still figuring what I should purchase as I add to my position going forward.
Absolutely, you must be in the US. they usually get coins straight from mint, will be as authentic as you can get.. Go for whats cheapest i always say.
Thus far I have a some pre 1965 US coins, a few bars and mostly generic rounds. I talked to a LCS and they told me that they pay $1 over spot for a US Silver Dollar, 50 cents over spot for a Canadian Maple, and 50 cents under spot for generic rounds. His opinion was for a person wanting to collect silver was to get as much as possible at as low a price as possible. Hence, he said to buy generic rounds for as close to spot as I could find and silver bars. That is what I have done thus far but wanted to know how others are approaching their stacking.
