Which silver bullion coins are the best to acquire?

I think a lot has to do with a matter of preference as well as how the market perceives said bullion as investment grade media.

Personally, I like ASE’s. In the past I collected Englehard, Johnson Mattey and Pamp Suisse bars but I’ve switched to American Silver Eagles and Canadian Maple Leafs.

 

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For some reason my above post has bullion twice back to back, but when I edit my post, it's only appears once. VERY ODD...

 

I am really considering buying one or two tubes of Cougar and Grizzly coins. I can get the Cougars from APMEX for just $32.71 and the Grizzlies from ProvidentMetals for $37.88 which is about $10 over spot. But from what I have researched it looks like the Grizzlies are selling between $40 and $50 all day long so I should still be ahead.

Both are more than I pay for new ASE's in mint tubes but I really like these coins and am confident they will be good investments long term with such low mintage.

I will then see if I can get the Wolves when spot goes down or get lucky and find someone selling them at a lower price than they are selling for now, over $50 per coin.

I plan to then get the next coin in the series. Can I get them straight from the Canadian Mint or do I have to go through a reseller?

 

I'm almost positive they are like ASE bullion in that you can't buy them directly from a mint. It's no problem though; Provident Metals, Gainesville Coins and Mint Products should have all you could want if you are early enough in the game. As mentioned before, you may get some with some milk spotting

 

You missed the boat on timberwolves and grizzlies, but you can get the cougars for the same price as ASE's if you shop around. Yes the design is unpopular, but it has 9999 purity which is what I like about regular maple leaves as well since that's the purity required for solar panels which will be a driving factor in industrial demand for silver going forward. Maybe that won't equate to a better return, but maybe it will if you wait long enough, who knows. For investment purposes and thus planning to sell, ASE's are your best bet in the states, but I have not had any problem selling generics to a coin dealer either. You pay a premium, you get a premium back, so I don't think it matters between the government minted coins and generic rounds unless you plan on selling to a private party in which case it could really go either way on you. Maybe they will like the government coins better, or maybe they will say silver is silver and tell you to eat the premium. It just depends, but I think junk silver is probably the best way to go since you pay no premium, there is no expectation of premium upon resale, and everybody knows what it is.

 

My biggest concerns with the wildlife coins are twofold: 1) the milk spotting potential that TreeHugger mentioned and 2) the large bid ask especially on the Grizzly and Wolf. The ASE's have a very tight bid ask and are much cheaper than all the wildlife coins.

While I like the wildlife coins I don't think I can pull the trigger on them because of these issues, especially the large bid ask spread and higher premiums. I keep going back and forth on this but think I am leaning towards not getting them especially the wolf as they are so high priced. If spot does drop around $25 again I may grab a tube or two of the Grizzly and Cougar. For now I am leaning on sticking to my original plan of ASE's, junk and one ounce gold coins. I will though keep a watch for the next coin in the series and if I can get it for $4 or so over spot I will buy them up. For some reason I am hoping for a moose design.

Keep the comments coming as they are very helpful and educational to me and I am sure to others.

 

For me, your opening comment is the crux of the matter, so I'll play the "grinch".

Preservation/Investment

What are you trying to preserve. The bullion coins? All of these bullion coins struck by ther various national mints were produced by the truckload, so this doesn't seem rational unless you simply have a love for the hobby.

If you're trying to preserve your assets and (hopefully) gain a return on your investment, why pay the premiums associated with these bullion coins when you can get "generic" silver much cheaper? Isn't it best to try to minimize your risk to achieve the greatest gain?

On another forum, someone was asking about the 5 oz "hockey pucks" (ATB's), and I pointed out that, based on the Mint asking price, you could buy 50 oz of "generic" APMEX 5 oz silver bars for less than it costs you to buy 35 oz (7 hockey pucks) of the ATB's. If you're in it for the investment, does this make sense?

Like I said, if you love the hobby then it's okay, but if you're in it for the investment, you're better off buying the generic bars and minimizing your risk, and 10 oz or 100 oz generic bars are even cheaper. I've often (jokingly) said that if you want a good investment, buy real estate. Let's face it, the national mints can always strike more bullion coins, but there is a finite amount of land available for an ever-increasing world population.

Chris

 

I recommend junk silver, esp. half dollars. The premium over spot is low, everybody recognizes them as a store of value and they will always be worth at least 50¢

 

I wholeheartedly agree that real estate is probably one of the best investments. I am in the process of potentially purchasing a rental property as I believe real estate has either bottomed or is very close to it's bottom.

I initially got into silver and gold thinking I would like the generic rounds but started looking around and really liked the ASE's and have been doing further research and started liking these others. So I guess you are right, this has become more of a hobby and I would rather buy what I like and try to get the best price possible. I have sold off all my generic rounds and 100 oz bar.

 

Has anyone purchased from GoldMart? They have unbelievable prices for the Grizzlies ($5.49 over spot compared to $9.99 over spot at ProvidentMetals). Of course they are out of stock but hopefully they come into stock and I will be ready to load up.

http://www.goldmart.com/bullion-1/s...or/2011-1-oz-canadian-slver-grizzly-bear.html

 

Off topic but real estate IMO still is a shaky bet,for example if debt crisis worsens only matter of time before Congress has to step in and make mortgage payment no longer tax deductible that will knock off 5-10% on all real estate values.

 

Along the lines of "you can't eat gold" (you can actually, it just won't nourish you - hooray for gold schlager), you cant make a house out of gold either. At least, it's just not very practical. I agree that the real estate market is still shaky and might be heading for a double dip, but it may still be worth weighing whether you'd rather have a pile of gold or a roof over your head. Sometimes a good investment doesn't equate to profitability. I'd like to think buying metals now will position me to pay off my home a lot sooner down the line, but if I had to choose I would definitely choose home.

For what it's worth, 16 of the 21 primary dealers for the Fed are forecasting QE3 in 2012, and most of those are anticipating the money flowing into mortgage backed debt which would give the housing market a nice boost. Then again, the contrarian in me says to tread carefully with anything they say, and of course any artificial stimulus only has the effect of compunding the problem and delaying the effects.

 

And also give gold a nice boost as well.

 

Fortunately buying a house right now would be strictly as an investment and it won't hinder my pm purchases. I have been very slow to purchase a house as i see no reason to rush. The housing market is not like the stock market, it traditionally doesn't snap back in a short period of time so there is time to make sure a bottom is put in place.

I also agree that pm's are a potentially great vehicle to pay down or off a home or simply to diversify and build wealth. I have really narrowed down my bullion list to ASE's, Panda's (thanks TreeHugger) and Canadian Wildlife series coins. I am now just waiting to strike when spot drops, especially on the Panda's and Grizzlies.

 

Congrats on being financially secure. I wouldn't touch a house for investment purposes, but I'd consider land. I still think silver is the best investment around due to physical consumption and available supply. Physical silver that is, not an IOU. I really love pandas, but I've heard there are some convincing fakes out there. Still, I bought a few 2010 pandas off a guy after the may smackdown for $36 apiece, and APMEX is selling them for $75-80 now. 2011 and 2012 pandas have unlimited mintages and probably won't do the same however. I am a huge fan of the Canadian Wildlife series and Perth lunar coins. You can't go wrong with ASE's, but ultimately just having the physical metal, whatever kind you like is a good choice IMO.

 

I totally agree with having whatever physical silver that suits your fancy. And I am in agreement that silver is the best investment right now. That is why I am trying to secure as much as possible with each dip.

I didn't do enough research to know that the '11 and '12 Panda's have unlimited mintages. I was hoping for similar appreciation as previous years. I bet they still appreciate better than most bullion coins due to the constantly changing design. I will have to keep my eyes open for killer deals, like you got, on the previous years. Obviously the $30's is no longer a deal but a steal.

 

I think design is a huge factor. Would you want to buy a coin with a worm on it or a cute Panda? I put number in order of the ones you would like to buy of which I think has the most attractive design.

4. Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
2. Canadian Wildlife Series Coins
1. Chinese Panda
3. Australian Kookaburra
5. Austrian Philharmonicsd

Also all worth the same if you are selling for bullion. If they melt it they don't care what it is. Also the more ounces or grams the more it could stand out to someone.

The design in order is my opinion and I think some may feel the same way. Please do not say that is not true. Everyone has there opinions.

 

ASE/Junk Silver
Canadian Mapel/Canadian Wildlife
Libertad

If others don't end up staying put during really bad times, they might run North or South. I like the Libertad a lot. It is pretty. I don't have many - maybe 3 or so, but hope to get more.

 

I would say whatever you can get at the lowest premium to the metal value. If you are buying it for the metal.

Lack

 

Good point. The longer I collect the more I fall in this category - lowest premium.