Hello all, I'm still new to stacking at this point and it is only making up a small part of my long term investments. My goal is to buy two one-ounce coins per month as investment and maybe some junk here and there. i might add a coin or two if I get some spare cash working over time. I really like Maples, Philharmonics, Eagles, Britannias and Libertads and those are the focus on my stacking. I am averaging about $25 per coin including premiums and shipping (I'm a little lazy and like having my silver show up at my doorstep). I've noticed on ebay most of these coins sell for about $27 or so including shipping. I know most rounds sell for a bit less (which is the point) but there are a few that sell for as much as a coin such as the Scottsdale Omnia, SBSS Freedomgirl or the Zombucks for examples. I know silver is silver is silver but I like coins because of the gov. mint backing and the face value on them. I just feel safer with them. So my question is why are some of these rounds which I thought were supposed to be a cheaper alternative to coins commanding price equal or higher prices than coins? Is it just because they have superior design compared to other rounds? I'll admit I really like the Scottsdale Omnias, the lion is very well executed. Do these higher end rounds really deserve the higher premiums compared to actual coins? Any thoughts? Unrelated what is up with copper rounds? They range from $1.00 to $3.00 per round. Copper is $3 something per pound!?! That doesn't seem like a great deal. Maybe they are appealing to a collectors market more than bullion market? Cheers, Chris
People will ask more if other people are willing to pay more... Save a few months budget and buy in larger quantities. This will save you lots of postage $$ or find a local coin dealer that is reasonably priced.
I agree. I think the Scottsdale Silver 1 oz Omnia rounds are lovely looking. I am not sure if the premium on the Omnia rounds is worth it though, as they are still only 1 oz of silver and there are cheaper rounds out there containing the same amount of silver, plus plenty of government backed bullion coins from various countries that might be easier shift in the long run... So it's all down to what you prefer and your own reasons for buying. Are you a collector buying 1 oz silver coins/rounds just because you like the look of them? Or are you trying to buy cheap silver bullion, as close to spot as you can get? Or are you buying for the long term and want something reliable and easy to dispose of when you need to sell, even if it includes paying a small premium? Basically, just buy what you like... you can't go wrong then!
Hello Stevo et al., Thanks for the insights everyone. The Scottsdale Omnias are lovely looking and I bit the bullet and picked one up at a pretty good price (about what I'd pay for a Maple... I'm a sucker for a pretty face). It came with a 1 oz. copper round. I'm still trying to figure out the copper rounds. I guess they are sort of cool? Fine to have around, maybe keep it as a "pocket coin" or maybe even to show off to get people interested in bullion. I dunno? I guess I can give it away as a small token. We will see. As for the types you mentioned above I am a hold long term guy. I am using silver to hedge and diversify my retirement investments which is why I like coins better than generic rounds. I'm not planning to retire for another 30 years or more so I'll have plenty of time to buy silver. A lot of the rounds out there are interesting but I feel like they often carry a political message or trendy image that might make them less appealing in 30 years (or maybe more who knows?). Most of the gov. bullion coins are prety timeless I think. Unrelated to silver rounds I went to a pawn shop today to see if they had any good bullion cheap. They had two American eagles and they were asking for $30 USD each!?! I told them I was only looking to pay a few dollars over spot and you could tell he knew I knew what I was talking about. I could order an Eagle from ebay shipped to my door for less than that. Sheesh. So much for checking pawn shops. I need to find a decent shop. The coin shop I go to for numi stuff doesn't really trade bullion; mostly antique stuff. The one shop I'd like to check out is closed on Mondays and Mondays are the only day I'm usually off duty. I'm sure I'll find a good local place at some point. Cheers, Chris
