# Lifestyles & Discussion > Personal Prosperity >  Newbie wants to get into Silver and Gold

## piotr1

i've got about $1500 and want to buy some silver and gold and bury it in my back yard. 8)

I bought 1 silver eagle a couple days at a local coin shop for $21.00

I don't know anything about the best way to go about this so if someone could give me a little advise i would really appreciate it. 8)

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## bluemarkets

Probably the simplest way for that amount is buy 1oz gold coin and the rest silver.

apmex.com seems fairly reliable, you can buy Krugerrands at just $5.95 over spot, and silver rounds at just .49 over spot.  

(sad when 1oz of gold is nearly $1k ...)

just my 2 cents

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## piotr1

cool thanks bluemarkets for the recommendation, anyone else have any advice?

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## specsaregood

> i've got about $1500 and want to buy some silver and gold and bury it in my back yard. 8)



Where do you live?  

Go read here:  http://goldismoney.info/forums/
Also as a bonus, registration is only available for a few days at the beginning of the month so you are in luck.  If you planning on asking questions over there, I recommend you register ASAP. You will get more advice over there since they are specific to the topic at hand.  Also they are very pro-paul so you will be in friendly territory.

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## AceNZ

> i've got about $1500 and want to buy some silver and gold and bury it in my back yard. 8)
> 
> I bought 1 silver eagle a couple days at a local coin shop for $21.00
> 
> I don't know anything about the best way to go about this so if someone could give me a little advise i would really appreciate it. 8)


With that dollar amount, I would recommend smaller coins.

I like the Maple Leaf, since it's 0.9999 pure gold and because they are widely circulated and easily recognized (important features for potential person-to-person transactions).  You might consider getting ten 1/10th ounce coins, at about $96 each:

http://www.nwtmintbullion.com/gold_mapleleaf.php

I don't care for silver rounds, especially if you think you might want to use them in person-to-person transactions.  I know I would never accept one from an individual, due to risks of forgery, fraud, etc, and I think a lot of people share that feeling.

In your case, I would instead suggest getting about $40 face value of old 90% junk silver coins, at about $123 per $10 roll:

http://www.apmex.com/Product/16485/1...ver_Coins.aspx

Smaller denomination coins are also easier for bartering, etc.

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## piotr1

Whats the difference between American Eagle Gold Coins and Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Bullion Coins?/?

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## ItsTime

Man thanks for making this thread!  If you do not mind me asking a question in it. Will gold hold its value when the dollar rebounds? (yes I am one of the few that thinks the dollar will rebound in the next 5 years)  Or will gold beat the dollar in the next 5 years?

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## raystone

investmentrarities.com  ask for Ellen, Sr. Broker

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## ARealConservative

> Man thanks for making this thread!  If you do not mind me asking a question in it. Will gold hold its value when the dollar rebounds? (yes I am one of the few that thinks the dollar will rebound in the next 5 years)  Or will gold beat the dollar in the next 5 years?


Who knows?

Many of us feel the central banks have been intervening in the markets and I see no reason to think they wont continue to try.

I look at it slightly different anyway.  The first goal for young people is to build up financial solvency for bad times.  How many Americans could survive without income for 6 months?  So the first goal is to build that level of liquidity.  

I suggest that you hold this necessary nest egg in the form of precious metals for a couple of reasons.  First, a market collapse could quickly turn your 6 months of liquidity into 6 days, and secondly - it's a method of sticking it to the system.  You are playing your part in reducing demand for FRN's.

Now let's say you suffer your financial hard times while the dollar does rebound - at least the strong dollar provides lower prices for goods and services - so your PM holdings create a sense of equilibrium - they are worth less money, but less money is going further anyway.

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## AceNZ

> Whats the difference between American Eagle Gold Coins and Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Bullion Coins?/?


Eagles are 0.9167 pure (92% / 22 ct), where Maples are 0.9999 pure (99.99% / 24 ct).  Eagles have a higher price premium over spot than Maples.





> Man thanks for making this thread!  If you do not mind me asking a question in it. Will gold hold its value when the dollar rebounds? (yes I am one of the few that thinks the dollar will rebound in the next 5 years)  Or will gold beat the dollar in the next 5 years?


It might help to think of gold as a hedge against the fall of the dollar.  In general, the price will go up as inflation and the dollar goes down.  If you approach it from a long-term perspective, what you are really doing is preserving purchasing power.  To answer your question directly, if the dollar makes a significant rebound, I would expect gold to hold its value (purchasing power), while at the same time going down in price.

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## ItsTime

ARealConservative  and AceNZ  thank you for your answers. I do not know how I overlooked purchasing power in my thought process. 

So my next question is, should I hold my dollars, which I am doing, I have no debt and am saving, and wait for the dollar to go back up to buy gold/silver? Or are you saying there is no harm in buying now because the purchasing power will stay. 

economics was my weakest point of my schooling.  I see to many questions to ever really take any risks.

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## forsmant

Well if the dollar continues to depreciate, you will be losing purchasing power.  If you buy gold now, you can hedge against inflation and sell it when the dollar starts to appreciate.

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## ARealConservative

> ARealConservative  and AceNZ  thank you for your answers. I do not know how I overlooked purchasing power in my thought process. 
> 
> So my next question is, should I hold my dollars, which I am doing, I have no debt and am saving, and wait for the dollar to go back up to buy gold/silver? Or are you saying there is no harm in buying now because the purchasing power will stay. 
> 
> economics was my weakest point of my schooling.  I see to many questions to ever really take any risks.


It's a tough call without knowing your situation.  

Personally, I haven't stopped adding gold, but I have been doing it for over a decade so a major drop wouldn't be as dramatic.

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## AceNZ

> So my next question is, should I hold my dollars, which I am doing, I have no debt and am saving, and wait for the dollar to go back up to buy gold/silver? Or are you saying there is no harm in buying now because the purchasing power will stay.


The answer to this partly depends on the rate at which you are currently spending dollars.  If you're living totally hand-to-mouth, then you aren't holding dollars for any length of time, and gold doesn't really make sense.  However, if you have some savings that you aren't likely to need to dip into for a while, then I would suggest moving out of dollars and into something more stable.  The dollar is in a long-term decline.  There may be occasional bear rallies, but in the long run that doesn't matter.  As I said before, gold is one way to help preserve your current purchasing power.

I would start with gold, and then build on that, depending on how much you have to invest.  In addition to gold, certain foreign currencies, foreign stocks that pay dividends in those currencies and agricultural commodities are my current favorites....

Whenever you ask for financial advice, you're likely to hear a different opinion from everyone you talk to.  In the end, it's your decision.  You should invest in things you understand and for reasons you understand.  Otherwise, your confidence is likely to waver and you could end up selling at just the wrong time.

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## sam1952

My 2 cents, first here is a site I use that will give you prices of all the metal markets. Lots of site do that but I prefer this one as it shows spot price of metals along with the cost of gold eagles, krugs, maples in 1 oz pricing and 1/2 oz eagle. Same for silver, 1 oz eagles, rounds 100 oz bars and bags ( junk silver ) you just have to do the math for the $1,000 bags @ $11,811.45 to $10 rolls which would be $118.11 ( close enough ). Oh, there will be premiums added to some of these prices but not to much.

As far as what to buy that really depends on your situation. For starting out I like the $10 rolls of junk silver someone else mentioned. It really depends how much you can afford to invest and how liquid you may need to be. I can tell you what I did. I started out buying 1 or 2 pieces of silver every payday. As time goes by it adds up believe me and you may get the benifit of dollar cost averaging. If you have enough to invest go for gold if you like. oz here oz there or as much as you want. 

My only comment is invest for the long haul. If this is money you may need soon there are premiums when you buy AND when you sell.

One cool bonus, 1 oz or 1/2 oz of gold is nice to have in your hand.

http://www.amark.com/

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## AceNZ

> http://www.amark.com/


A-Mark is cool, but keep in mind their minimum order is 100 ounces of gold or 5000 ounces of silver.

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## sam1952

> A-Mark is cool, but keep in mind their minimum order is 100 ounces of gold or 5000 ounces of silver.


I don't buy from A-Mark. I use their site to follow prices. I have bought online from different companies though. I have made contacts with local coin dealers and try to buy from them. They will call me when they get something in they think I may be interested in ( I like BU rolls of junk silver )

Also you can find deals on ebay sometimes but the key is to follow the daily pricing which is why I use A-Mark. Side note, remember to factor in shipping if you use ebay, some sellers try to make thier profit from shipping, not the sale.

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## Truth-Bringer

An excellent investment newsletter for gold and silver is published by Richard Maybury:

http://www.chaostan.com

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## JSutter

When buying silver I stay away from the Silver Eagles because they are considered "collector coins" and go from about $4 over spot and on up and you're paying $20 for a $1 face value coin.

Buy 1965-1970 JFK 40% silver half dollars. You can usually pick them up at or under spot and you pay about $2-$2.50 for a .50 face value coin

If the bottom ever drops out of silver then both coins are still redeemable at face value but you've lost $20 on a silver eagle and $1.50-$2 on a JFK half. The market dropping drastically isn't unprecedented. Silver was at $50 an ounce in the 80s and the government intervened and dropped a ton of silver on the market bringing it down and keeping it there for a long time [It was at $4 an ounce several years ago]

Second if you are buying a lot of silver or gold try to stay away from coin shops if you're getting charged sales tax. Here in Kentucky it's 6% so if you're buying two 1oz gold eagles at $950 each that's $114 in tax. You could use that $114 to get an additional 1/10th oz coin or almost 10oz of silver

Find a reputable dealer on ebay and pay through PayPal to protect yourself and unless they're in the same state as you you won't pay sales tax. If you're uncomfortable with that look around for coin dealers at a flea market or a coin show and buy your coins there because most of the times coin dealers that have to charge you tax if you walk into their store don't charge you tax at a show

Hope that helps, if you need any more help feel free to PM me.

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## youngbuck

I'd put half of that 1500 in gold, and the other half in silver.  For the silver I'd get a roll of silver liberties, and the read 90% silver coins like half dollars, quarters, and dimes.  My new favorite place to buy silver is apmex.com.

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## nick4rp

I've been hearing a lot of radio ads on buying gold.

This is a nice idea, but how can one even possibly do this when the dollar is weak and one is living paycheck to paycheck? Especially now that one cannot afford their house payment and the house value has tanked?

Well, my concerns is when I am able to buy gold or silver, what about how safe it is to have it?

I thought I heard about someone coining a Ron Paul gold coin and didn't the IRS raid it and take it away?

That shocks me and I'd hate for that to happen with an investment.

What protections, if any, do we have for owning gold/silver?

It seems like only the 2nd Amendment...

Any thoughts?

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## piotr1

> I've been hearing a lot of radio ads on buying gold.
> 
> This is a nice idea, but how can one even possibly do this when the dollar is weak and one is living paycheck to paycheck? Especially now that one cannot afford their house payment and the house value has tanked?
> 
> Well, my concerns is when I am able to buy gold or silver, what about how safe it is to have it?
> 
> I thought I heard about someone coining a Ron Paul gold coin and didn't the IRS raid it and take it away?
> 
> That shocks me and I'd hate for that to happen with an investment.
> ...


dig a hole, put coins in hole, cover hole with dirt, cover back with grass. 8)

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## AceNZ

> This is a nice idea, but how can one even possibly do this when the dollar is weak and one is living paycheck to paycheck? Especially now that one cannot afford their house payment and the house value has tanked?


Sell your house, preserve what's left of your equity and move into a rental.  I know it might sound extreme, but it's better than losing your equity and eventually ending up under water, as many people already have.  Another big plus is that your monthly expenses will go down.

Buy gold a few grams at a time through a vaulted storage service like BullionVault.  They give you a free gram to start (about $30 worth).  An alternative is to buy shares in a gold ETF like GLD, which you can do through any brokerage account.  Shares trade at 1/10th the price of gold, so about $91 each as of today.

Buying silver is another option.  A $10 roll of 90% silver sells for around $120 today.  You could probably buy even less at a time if you want.  Most coin dealers carry that type of silver.





> Well, my concerns is when I am able to buy gold or silver, what about how safe it is to have it?


Secrecy is 99% of safety.  Vaulted services have many advantages in that way.





> I thought I heard about someone coining a Ron Paul gold coin and didn't the IRS raid it and take it away?
> 
> That shocks me and I'd hate for that to happen with an investment.
> 
> What protections, if any, do we have for owning gold/silver?


The Ron Paul Liberty Dollars were seized due to accusations about counterfeiting.  That particular reason couldn't be used against coins issued by the US or foreign mints.

This is another advantage of a vaulted storage service, since your gold can be stored in a vault in another country, like Switzerland, where it can't be seized.

Whatever you do, don't use a safety deposit box.

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## JSutter

My rule of thumb is to always buy precious metals in physical form. I don't buy metals stocks or invest in pool accounts. Some of the pool accounts have pretty high fees to convert your online gold or silver into physical form should you ever want it and if the metals really take off they may not have enough to distribute to everyone. They don't actually set your gold aside with your name on it it is kind of a fractional rserve system where they might sell an ounce of gold to 3 people betting that no more than 1 will ever call for it in physical form at any given time. If the market gets crazy you could find out the hard way that you don't actually "own" metals and going round and round with a company when you really need your savings isn't a position I want to be in.

Buy in physical forms of reliable measure such as government issued gold or silver coins, or stamped bars from a reputable source. Everyone knows that a 1964 JFK hald dollar piece is 90$ silver, if you get an unstamped bar or round somewhere you're taking their word as to actual purity and content.

If you're on a budget just buy a few coins at a time. You can get a roll of 40% JFK silvers for about $50 or single coins for $2.50 and a 1/10th gold Krugerrand or American Eagle for about $110-$125. Hold about 70% of your precious metals savings in silver and 30% in gold. 

If you're using your metals as a long term savings and you have say $1000 to work with then buy $300 in gold and $700 in silver. If at sometime in the future they each jump up and your gold is worth $400 and your silver is worth $900 then sell $100 in gold and $200 in silver to get back to your $1000 and hold the cash until the market drops again then reinvest your profits into more metals. If you're smart about it you can greatly increase your holdings volume over the years.

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## JSutter

_This is another advantage of a vaulted storage service, since your gold can be stored in a vault in another country, like Switzerland, where it can't be seized._

The drawback to that is that if the US could institute an import ban later and you could be stuck taking useless US dollars for your gold or silver in a situation where people reject fiat currency and only want to barter in gold or silver. Just buy it in physical form and put it up somewhere safe and don't tell everyone and their brother how much gold and silver you have and show it off. It's hard for the government to confiscate what they don't know exists.

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## bluemarkets

_
 Just buy it in physical form and put it up somewhere safe and don't tell everyone and their brother how much gold and silver you have and show it off. It's hard for the government to confiscate what they don't know exists._

yes keep it on the low down ...

dont start a thread saying ... yippee I just bought 100oz of gold!

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## ItsTime

If I go to my local coin dealer what should I look for? Whats the absolute best buy you can get?  I do not plan on buying from a vault, because if I cant touch it, I really do not own it I am at the will of the government. Will they allow me to import, or allow the company to ship if the economy goes south.

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## AceNZ

> Some of the pool accounts have pretty high fees to convert your online gold or silver into physical form should you ever want it and if the metals really take off they may not have enough to distribute to everyone. They don't actually set your gold aside with your name on it it is kind of a fractional rserve system where they might sell an ounce of gold to 3 people betting that no more than 1 will ever call for it in physical form at any given time. If the market gets crazy you could find out the hard way that you don't actually "own" metals and going round and round with a company when you really need your savings isn't a position I want to be in.


I can't argue with anyone who would rather take personal possession of their gold.  There are certainly many good reasons to do so.  Unfortunately, it's not always practical or safe.

I agree with you about pool accounts.  What you've described is called "unallocated" storage, and most third-party remote-storage accounts are like that (though if they're doing any sort of "fractional" sales, that would be fraudulent).  The alternative is "allocated" storage, where the gold is actually set aside and held in your name.  If the company you're working with were to go bankrupt or something, the gold would still be yours; the company's creditors can't touch it.  You can also usually request physical delivery, though it's more complicated in some cases than others depending on how the gold is physically held.  The only companies I know of that offer allocated gold are: GoldMoney, BullionVault and the Perth Mint (through their certificate program).

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## piotr1

Does anyone here purchase large amount from local dealers?  I bought my first piece of silver ever from a local shop and the guys said if you spend over 1000 fiat dollars you don't have to pay tax.

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## ItsTime

I live in New Hampshire, I dont have the problem (I dont think Ive never bought coins) 




> Does anyone here purchase large amount from local dealers?  I bought my first piece of silver ever from a local shop and the guys said if you spend over 1000 fiat dollars you don't have to pay tax.

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## JSutter

He probably SHOULD be charging you tax but is willing to not ring up the sale and show it on his records if you spend $1000 or more.

*If I go to my local coin dealer what should I look for?* 

Silver I would buy either 40% silver 1965-1970 JFK halves [closest buy to actual face value of coin at about 4.5X face] but a lot of people buy 90% silver 1964 and over coins [go for about 11x face] The closer to face you buy the less money you'll lose if the silver market gets flooded again and prices plummet. You can buy 2 40% 50 cent pieces [$1 face value] for $4-$5 and they're guaranteed to always be worth a dollar even if silver value drops below that, or you can buy 10 90% silver dimes [also $1 face value] for $10-$11 and they're also always worth at least a dollar. If prices plummet you could lose $9-$10 on the dimes but only $3-$4 on the half dollars. There's more silver content in the dimes but you're taking a bigger risk on them too. By buying the %40 halves you can lower your losses in the event of a market catastrophe

In gold buy either chip gold from a reputable manufacturer that is sealed and stamped with the weight [you can get this closer to spot than coins] or the South African Krugerrand or American gold eagles.

Whatever you do never buy coins that are priced far above their face value because they're "collector coins' with an excellent grading from some coin grader. In a time of crisis no one will care how pretty a coin is or how well it was stamped and they wont give you the premium you payed on it they'll only be worried about the actual metal content of the coin and an average gold eagle will be worth the same as an MS70 perfectly minted gold eagle.

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## piotr1

Well i made my first big purchase yesterday.
I'll post what i got in a bit , but now i'm off to be poll watcher!

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## PeacePlan

> cool thanks bluemarkets for the recommendation, anyone else have any advice?



I agree apmex if you buy over the net.. I like to buy in person with cash so I leave no paper trail...

Here you can get dealer ratings and feedback from people who bought from them..

http://goldismoney.info/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=150

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## xinkid

> He probably SHOULD be charging you tax but is willing to not ring up the sale and show it on his records if you spend $1000 or more.
> 
> *If I go to my local coin dealer what should I look for?* 
> 
> Silver I would buy either 40% silver 1965-1970 JFK halves


Some states have laws that bullion transactions over $1000 are not taxable.

Also, before you buy 40% silver or any form of silver, ask the dealer about their buy back price if you ever decide to sell.  You should aim to buy the one with the least amount of spread - difference in buy vs sell price with the dealer.

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## weatherbill

several factors will effect the price of gold n silver in the coming months.

Iran is opening an oil borse this month! Iranian oil will no longer be traded in US dollars, but in euros, so from this, the US dollar will drop more.

Japan has been told by Iran that they will accept Yen for oil, but not US dollars, Venesuela has said they will join in, along with syria and russia, so alot of demand for the dollar will fall big from this....it's just a matter of time. 
    I beleive as well as GATA, that the FED bankers have been manipulating the price of gold to keep the USD looking good, but all the fundamnetlas point to the dollar loosing alot of its value.......many things indicate there is a big drop in the USD coming.....M3 fed reports are no more, the Suadis have threatened us to decouple oil from the dollar if we hurt Iran's oil borse, latest news says we've cut under sea communication cable of the iranians to stall the oil borse, our own economy going into recession, the china economic bubble...... there are many threats to the collapse of the dollar. Some have said they see the USdollar fallng 50% from were it's at now.   add in the fac tthat the fed is diluting it thru inflation and the 3.1 trillion dollar bush propsed budget...... there is just so many factors playing into this. This could be an opportunity of a life time if you play your cards right....... if you buy gold n silver and real estate goes down, as silver goes up, you could cash in the silver and buy real estate for dirt cheap if the scenario I think is coming plays out that way.
     Plus add in the factors that if we are headed for a hard recession and this hurts china, they will dump some of their many dollars on the market to help them get thru this turbulant time...... with dollar heavy china, japan and the middle east and the fact that the value of the dollar is dropping and the temptation of central bankers to want to "diversify" (dump) out of the dollar, I can;t see too much of a drop coming in precious metals...... there are just too many fundamental factors playing into precious metals rising alot more......... I can see silver over $30 an oz and gold over $1200 an oz soon and much more due to the dumping of the USD.
    We are entering into a really turbulant time for  the USD IMO.
   Ther eis the factor of the production, but I don't see prodcution keeping up with the dumping of the dollar events that are going to take place in the near future. I see a gold rush coming.
    When I buy, i buy for the long, so i don't worry about if Gold is at $930 or $850. I buy the dips and hold at these little peeks becasue I never know when it's gonna take off big, but I expect some future geo political events and frail economics to take gold and silver up in a big way........ some of these events could make silve rand gold jump and not come back down.
    I also diversify. I keep some USD around for spending and living of course, but you don't want too many of those around in case soemthing does happena nd they loose 30% in a matter of a couple days on one of these big events to come, like war with Iran or china dumping the dollar...... notice some big wig form the middle east bought 10% of the Nasdaq...... we needed to alow them to do that becasue they were dollar heavy and if we didn't, they would dump those dollars to move them into some kind of hard asset. I expect, that if a dollar dump or too much dollars are in one's coffer, they will move those dollars into hard assets....then those dollars will be moved around and eventually dumped somewhere on the market. There are just too many USDollars around becasue of the Fed's overprinting of them and I expect the supply side of the USD not to be lacking at all these next 5 years.
    Everything says the FED will continue to dilute and over print the dollar to stav off inflation. if they don't do this, the China bubble will bust some, causing them to dump some dollars, them it will have a ripple effect to the middle east, where oil will cost alot more and a whole economic global ripple effect could take place and then, Burnthebanke will be forced to either raise interest rates and firmly implant us in stagflation, which will cause a global recession and the dyumping of the dollar by foreign makrets to cover their buts or keep inflating and devaluing the dollar eventually with hyper inflation....either way, I see a safe haven in gold n silver...... these next 3 years are gonna be some of the most exciting economic times....also some of the most heart wrenching times for thos ewho chose to go the uneducated route......

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## piotr1

> Well i made my first big purchase yesterday.
> I'll post what i got in a bit , but now i'm off to be poll watcher!


Below is the receipt from my first purchase, i'm trying to make sense of it all and i was hoping you guys could help since i'm still learning all this stuff....

Anyways i spent $1000, i asked him to divide it up evenly between 40% half dollars, 60% half dollars and SAE.


I believe it was February 4th when i made the purchase... I didn't record the spot price used....8(

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## piotr1

bump for help. ;p

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## IChooseLiberty

> Below is the receipt from my first purchase, i'm trying to make sense of it all and i was hoping you guys could help since i'm still learning all this stuff....
> 
> Anyways i spent $1000, i asked him to divide it up evenly between 40% half dollars, 60% half dollars and SAE.
> 
> 
> I believe it was February 4th when i made the purchase... I didn't record the spot price used....8(


I'm sorry to say this but I think you got jacked.  Looks like he charged you about 30% over actual value.

27.50 for silver american eagles???? You can get them online for in the 19's each with shipping.

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## IChooseLiberty

18.85 at bulliondirect.com 
http://bulliondirect.com/catalog/sel....do?category=1

40%'s are $53 for 20.  That's ~$2.50/ea.

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## NMCB3

Don't overlook silver and gold bars from reputable manufacturers. Same goes with silver rounds. As long as they`re bought from a reputable dealer you are OK. On the net APMEX is my favorite. 90% coins are better for WTSHTF scenarios than rounds or bars though, as someone pointed out. Best thing to do is diversify, don't put all your eggs in one basket and you will be fine.

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## RadiantBlueLight

piotr1,

Silver closed on Feb 4 2008 at $16.69.  Spot right now is $17.19.  Your profit is $.50 an ounce.  $1000 in silver on Feb 4 got you about 60 ounces at melt.  $.50 * 60 = $30 profit.

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## piotr1

> I'm sorry to say this but I think you got jacked.  Looks like he charged you about 30% over actual value.
> 
> 27.50 for silver american eagles???? You can get them online for in the 19's each with shipping.


Noooo, the eagles i got for $18.x0   its the middle one....  i can't tell what the x is...  what do you guys think? is it a 1 or a 7?

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## Michigan11

> Noooo, the eagles i got for $18.x0   its the middle one....  i can't tell what the x is...  what do you guys think? is it a 1 or a 7?


Well you got the Eagles for $18.70 each. That's good.

The other scribbles I can't read.

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## IChooseLiberty

> Noooo, the eagles i got for $18.x0   its the middle one....  i can't tell what the x is...  what do you guys think? is it a 1 or a 7?


If that's the case then that receipt doesn't make any sense.  What did you actually receive for your $1000?

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## piotr1

> If that's the case then that receipt doesn't make any sense.  What did you actually receive for your $1000?


Yea i'm alittle confused too, thats why i made this post ;p

I got 20 eagles,  121  40% half dollars and 55 60% half dollars

How do i compute?

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## ARealConservative

> Yea i'm alittle confused too, thats why i made this post ;p
> 
> I got 20 eagles,  121  40% half dollars and 55 60% half dollars
> 
> How do i compute?


40% and 90%?

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## piotr1

> 40% and 90%?



I got 20 eagles, 121 40% half dollars and 55 90% half dollars


ops, your right ;p   corrected above.

So how did i make out?

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## IChooseLiberty

> Yea i'm alittle confused too, thats why i made this post ;p
> 
> I got 20 eagles,  121  40% half dollars and 55 60% half dollars
> 
> How do i compute?


Goddamn.   You're going to make me work!  Save these formulas for your future reference.  All you need are these and the spot price and you can calculate value.

Kennedy Halves = $2.58 * 121ct = $312.18
SAE = spot + $2 = $19.11 x 20 =  $382.20
60% Halves.... I'm guessing you mean 90% because I've never heard of 60%s
$6.20ea * 55 =  $341.00

Current worth I'd value at $1035.38 melt.  Looks like you did well!

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Using the latest metal prices and the specifications above, these are the numbers required to calculate melt value:

 $17.11	  =	silver price / ounce on Feb 08, 2008.
.40	  =	silver %
 $3.4907	  =	copper price / pound on Feb 08, 2008.
.60	  =	copper %
11.5	  =	total weight in grams
.0321507466	  =	ounce/gram conversion factor
.00220462262	  =	pound/gram conversion factor (see note directly below)


The NYMEX uses pounds to price copper and that means we need to multiply the metal price by .00220462262 to make the conversion to grams. The silver price is based in troy ounces and that means we need to multiply the metal price by .0321507466 to make the conversion to grams.



1. Calculate 40% silver value :

    (17.11 × .0321507466 × 11.5 × .40)  =  $2.5304566618


$2.5304 is the rounded silver value for the 1965-1970 silver Kennedy half dollar on February 08, 2008. This is usually the value used by coin dealers when selling these coins at melt value. However, the total melt value is continued below.



2. Calculate 60% copper value :

    (3.4907 × .00220462262 × 11.5 × .60)  =  $0.0530995


3. Add the two together :

    $2.5304566618 + $0.0530995 = $2.5835561618




$2.5835561618 is the total melt value for the 1965-1970 silver Kennedy half dollar on February 08, 2008.

------------------------------------------------------------

Using the latest metal prices and the specifications above, these are the numbers required to calculate melt value:

 $17.11	  =	silver price / ounce on Feb 08, 2008.
.90	  =	silver %
 $3.4907	  =	copper price / pound on Feb 08, 2008.
.10	  =	copper %
12.5	  =	total weight in grams
.0321507466	  =	ounce/gram conversion factor
.00220462262	  =	pound/gram conversion factor (see note directly below)


The NYMEX uses pounds to price copper and that means we need to multiply the metal price by .00220462262 to make the conversion to grams. The silver price is based in troy ounces and that means we need to multiply the metal price by .0321507466 to make the conversion to grams.



1. Calculate 90% silver value :

    (17.11 × .0321507466 × 12.5 × .90)  =  $6.1886168361


$6.1886 is the rounded silver value for the 1916-1947 silver Walking Liberty half dollar on February 08, 2008. This is usually the value used by coin dealers when selling these coins at melt value. However, the total melt value is continued below.



2. Calculate 10% copper value :

    (3.4907 × .00220462262 × 12.5 × .10)  =  $0.0096193


3. Add the two together :

    $6.1886168361 + $0.0096193 = $6.1982361361




$6.1982361361 is the total melt value for the 1916-1947 silver Walking Liberty half dollar on February 08, 2008.

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## ARealConservative

> I got 20 eagles, 121 40% half dollars and 55 90% half dollars
> 
> 
> ops, your right ;p   corrected above.
> 
> So how did i make out?


I hate the 40% stuff myself.  Here is the costs and current buy back rates for those two items. 

http://www.apmex.com/Product/6917/10...er_Coins_.aspx

121 @ 40% = 361.79   ($255.92 buy price)


http://www.apmex.com/Product/195/100...er_Coins_.aspx

55 @ 90% = 359.43 (309.38 buy price)

Silver Eagles
20 @ 18.97 = 379.4


19.95 shipping and handling + insurance

total = 1,120.57

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## piotr1

COOL!! Thanks IChooseLiberty!!!  I'll know how to compute now in  the future. 8)

I have a couple questions...

Does anyone know any good containers i can buy online for half dollars?

Also some of the half dollars i got are down right fugly/ dirty  or whatever you call it. ;p
Should i try and clean some of them or does it not matter?    For my next purchase should i try to avoid the bad ones?

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## piotr1

> I hate the 40% stuff myself.  Here is the costs and current buy back rates for those two items. 
> 
> http://www.apmex.com/Product/6917/10...er_Coins_.aspx
> 
> 121 @ 40% = 361.79   ($255.92 buy price)
> 
> 
> http://www.apmex.com/Product/195/100...er_Coins_.aspx
> 
> ...


I think i understand your post, but could you clarify please?

Also why is the spread so large on the 40%s and the 90%s... ?

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## ARealConservative

> I think i understand your post, but could you clarify please?
> 
> Also why is the spread so large on the 40%s and the 90%s... ?


This is essentially how much it would of cost at apmex today to buy what you bought.

The demand of the 40% coins is so much lower that the buy back rate is way worse.

Personally I would concentrate on gold in the future, but that's just me.

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## piotr1

> This is essentially how much it would of cost at apmex today to buy what you bought.
> 
> The demand of the 40% coins is so much lower that the buy back rate is way worse.
> 
> Personally I would concentrate on gold in the future, but that's just me.


If i wanted to sell back to my local dealer do you think he would use a similar spread as apmex?

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## ARealConservative

> If i wanted to sell back to my local dealer do you think he would use a similar spread as apmex?


Mine buys back at about the same rate but sells higher.

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## kgiese

Rule one: on investing in a commodity: Buy low and sell high.
Rule two:  Never forget rule one.

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## piotr1

> Rule one: on investing in a commodity: Buy low and sell high.
> Rule two:  Never forget rule one.


Did I do something wrong?

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## piotr1

> I hate the 40% stuff myself.  Here is the costs and current buy back rates for those two items. 
> 
> http://www.apmex.com/Product/6917/10...er_Coins_.aspx
> 
> 121 @ 40% = 361.79   ($255.92 buy price)
> 
> 
> http://www.apmex.com/Product/195/100...er_Coins_.aspx
> 
> ...


are those apmex links really the best tool to use online to determine value?
I'm trying to calculate value of this listing, http://cgi.ebay.com/90-Silver-Quarte...QQcmdZViewItem

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## phoenixzorn

Butting in here.. because I figured I'd just as soon add to this thread than start my own n00bie thread... 

I don't have $1500 to spend in one shot, or even $1000... I have $2000 in the bank, and a lot of bills to pay.  What I'm looking to do is buy small quantities of silver at a time, and build up my stores over the next couple months.  I want to spend about $1000 in total through July, and possibly $2000 by December in silver.

Right now, I have about $200 to spend... I've heard some people say Liberty Dollars are great, and others say they are worthless (besides being $22.00 each for a $20.00 coin) but on their site, they are saying the Liberty Dollar will go 2.5X by May 21st as long as silver stays about $16.00 for 45 days.... that will mean new Liberty Dollars will be struck at a $50.00 face value, and I can exchange my $20.00 pieces for the $50.00 pieces as if they were the same coin.

I know Liberty Dollars are NOT currency in any country, but I like the idea of the face value being basically, what you sell it for.

I'm looking at apmex.com right now, but I don't know where to start.  Any help would be appreciated.

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## piotr1

> Butting in here.. because I figured I'd just as soon add to this thread than start my own n00bie thread... 
> 
> I don't have $1500 to spend in one shot, or even $1000... I have $2000 in the bank, and a lot of bills to pay.  What I'm looking to do is buy small quantities of silver at a time, and build up my stores over the next couple months.  I want to spend about $1000 in total through July, and possibly $2000 by December in silver.
> 
> Right now, I have about $200 to spend... I've heard some people say Liberty Dollars are great, and others say they are worthless (besides being $22.00 each for a $20.00 coin) but on their site, they are saying the Liberty Dollar will go 2.5X by May 21st as long as silver stays about $16.00 for 45 days.... that will mean new Liberty Dollars will be struck at a $50.00 face value, and I can exchange my $20.00 pieces for the $50.00 pieces as if they were the same coin.
> 
> I know Liberty Dollars are NOT currency in any country, but I like the idea of the face value being basically, what you sell it for.
> 
> I'm looking at apmex.com right now, but I don't know where to start.  Any help would be appreciated.


Wow! Where did you hear that the face value was going to go up??!?!

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## phoenixzorn

> Wow! Where did you hear that the face value was going to go up??!?!


www.libertydollar.org

When the Liberty Dollar had a $10.00 face value, the price of silver was about $5.60 per ounce... It had to be above $7.xx per ounce for at least 30 days, after which the face value went up to $20.00 in order to cover the rising cost of the silver bullion used to strike the coins.  Now, if the price is above $16.00 per ounce for more than 45 days, the price will go to $50.00 face value, even though the price of silver won't get to $50 per ounce until some time this summer...  By the time silver actually gets to $50.00 per ounce, your coins and/or certificates will be worth $100 each...

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## phoenixzorn

And I just realized WHY the value of these coins goes up so much..... and it seems to be - for lack of a better word - bull$#@!.

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