Why are people buying 1 GRAIN (NOT GRAMS) of silver @ such ridiculous prices...it takes 480 grains of silver to make 1 troy ounce. check out EBAY...Am I missing something? You people "down under" are some pretty smart folks...educate me please.
The bartering was my first thought...but, To me it makes no sense to pay these prices now...buy kilos & build yourself a forge!
I don't get the grain or gram bars on silver, you would be cheaper just taking a hacksaw to an ounce bar if you needed smaller bartering amounts.
When the price of silver is down, they gotta come up with new products that will make some buyers want to spend many multiples over spot for an item. This can be highly profitable for the private mints. Some people don't mind paying $4 to $6 per gram for silver bars of that weight. The mint that makes/sells them is making a killing. Actually smart business decision on the mints' part vs. generic one ounce bars. Not so smart though on the part of the buyers. Just my opinion. Jim
I just found them bars to be cute, so a few years ago I bought myself some 5 grain bars, a dollar the pop, no regrets. They are still lying around and every now and then I look at them and they are still cute. And, not everyone has one. As to the 1 grainers, a bit too tiny for me. Got to be careful not to inhale them by mistake.
1 grain is a laugh. I did buy some 1/10th silver rounds once and never again . I would much prefer a pre sixpence or a shilling.
I bought some Valcambi 1 grammers, just because I could. I got a whole ounce's worth. They're cute - I put a couple in a 2x2 coin holder so they wouldn't get lost and popped them into the coin album. As for the rest, I'll probably give them away over the years just so as people can say they have some silver, too. Why not, they're a bit of fun. And grainers are even funnier than grammers.
I bought a heap of 1grams to throw it with whatever someone bought from me as a little thank you. Seems to make their day more than the metal arriving!
I got a whole slab of the Valcambi 1 grams. If I ever had friends it would be a talking point I do think that it marks a moment in history when people thought that the price of silver was going to the moon and that the global economy was going to collapse, so it made sense for small bars that you could break off to exchange for food items. The moment passed but there is nothing like that little slab of Valcambis to remind you that the sky isn't falling and not to believe the hype. I also have a 1/50 oz of gold, that is very thin!