reggie said:
I think you misunderstand. I'll rephrase.
When the demand for physical bullion (which includes the ASE) spikes in relation to available supply, it has been observed that bullion products trade at a higher premium.
Make sense?
Also, if I may correct you, ASE's are numismatics as they are currency. They're just a very common numismatic.
So your focus wasn't ASE but delivered silver/coins in general?
So a silver shortage?
Here in Europe I don't see any indications of such situation.
I rather see the opposite at dealers.
Plenty new various coins/sets, due to customers selling it back (the price dropped for a reason...).
Which ones do you see over there?
Last year in april I saw every day a post that claimed shortage, and couple weeks later the price tumbled from $50 to $32 due to massive oversupply.
We had 3 months $27-28 this summer 2012. Seen shortages? I didn't. I bought most of my 2012 silver then. The proof of NON shortage sits in my safe.
So I wonder what makes you think there is a shortage now?
The premium is %-wise the same as it was this summer, early 2012, and in the 2011 occasions. Only early 2011 the premium was lower because the US Mint increased it then. All this happened thus regardless spot. The same applies to Maples, Philharmonikers and others.
ASE considered numismatic because they are currency?
I thought numismatic ment extra value due to limited/lowmintages/collectors interest/etc?
Why does the US Mint flag the ASE as 'bullion' instead of 'numismatic', and doesn't sell them directly to customers but only to large dealers (so called 'primary dealers'?
I have several monsterboxes ASE, and I'm just a silver saver, numismatics for speculation don't interest me at all.