hi, i'm new to this - i picked up lots of one ounce rounds and it was immediately apparent that i would want something that wasn't prohibitively cumbersome and also generally recognizeable/standard. i notice so much diversity between what people swear by ... 999 vs. 9999, apmex vs. whoever, perth vs. krugerands ... i guess if i had my ideal investments it would be lots of 50 oz bars and maybe some "change" because they are nicely generic and easy to handle - and i'd purchase from apmex because they seem terrific so far. i'd be interested in anyone can point me to any sites that discuss such differences, and, of course, if anyone cares to chime in with what you swear by. thanks for your thoughts!
50oz bars, yes please! i have a little dream about those First Majestic / Monarch poured 5-0s. dont have any yet of course. probably too much trouble importing to justify it anyway what country are you in?
I have a 50 ounce perth mint bar but ive never seen another. No idea how long they made them for but of course i dont consider it to be rare or more valuable. Bullion is great being close to spot but I regret getting so many 100 oz bars over 10s or 20s. The difference in premium is minimal. In regards to different "brands" of bars i dont think it matters a great deal as long as its from a well recognized source. For change i mostly got 1966s and pre46 florins/shillings because I didnt like the premiums on kooks but i now realise there are heaaaaps of 1oz round options and for some of them the premium over spot is worth it....I think most of the silver i buy from now on will be 1oz rounds but I am also unsure on the best deals out there in regards to these so Im going to keep an eye on this thread.
i once had a mess of one ounce rounds - basically the miscellaneous one supplier wanted to get rid of. at one point i realized i'd the lack of standardization would make it inconvenient if ever needed for commerce. so i retained some of those - mixed in with that lot were some mexican onzas, they are my absolute favorite - they feel amazing - and the garish american eagles too because i know there's a bit of a premium on that, as well as the englehards and jonathan mattheys, and i sold the rest to apmex and got some more negotiable units. that said, 100 would be too cumbersome - even my 50 is a bit inconvenient. meanwhile i have some of those standing liberty ounces and find them insufferably tacky so i'll trade those up at some point. the indian/buffalos are next in line after that. not a huge cache, but enough to stack and enough to require managing. anyone have a take on apmex? are any of these better than others? i'm in the u.s. by the way.
Hi, your experience in USA will be different to those of us in Oz.. We have the 1kg bars which i suppose are the most common big bars.. In USA the 1kg would be less common as you use Pounds.. Also in Australia ASE's trade as generic bullion (some rate it but most dont)... so here we rate low mintage bullion as opposed to the mass produced Maples and Eagles.. Its good to diversify... so 1oz, 2oz, 5 oz, 10 oz and 1kg's should all be a part of your stack.. also the fraction "junk" or what we call pre-decimal - great for a SHTF scenerio. My personal thinking is the oppisite of yours.. i started with the big bars and gradually decided that smaller units are prefereable.. just cos 100 oz'ers will reduce demand cos it will price potential buyers out of the market.. also if the price spikes it will only get more difficult to sell.. esp if the govt starts putting draconian rules on bullion trades... Id reccommend americans diversify away from America's bullion.. libertads would be the exception.. dropkick those maples and ASE's... they are CRAP. Buy Pandas, Kooks or Lunar, Brittania's or any other bullion that is not mass-produced. Maybe if you want to STACK bars stick with 10oz bars? They Stack well.. and you can still feel good knowing 10oz wont price potential buyers out of the market when you turn around looking to sell.
I started out with 20oz bars. Don't own one now. I have 1 first majestic that I love the rest 1oz coins. Easy to trade and fractional. It's a pain to sell 20oz cos you need $100 cash.
hi 1for1 - those brittania's are beautiful coins but sell for such a premium. but my notion is that all silver, even pretty silver, is ultimately worth it's weight - is there anything wrong with "generic bullion"? the reason i would think american silver eagles and mapleleafs are idea is that they are so easily identifiable and common that they would be the most easily tradeable in a SHTF scenario. i'm just making this stuff up, i'm not educated or conversant yet, but at this point the only reason i would consider buying low mintage "collectible" coins might be to later sell at a profit in order to replace with more bullion. metric seems like a nice way to go though, a kilogram would be easier to handle than a 50 oz.
