In your opinion which is a better buy/investment? A. One $15,000 coin or B. 939 ounces of silver bars
C is my choice. You need to be more specific. WHICH $15,000 coin? Some might be winners, others might be losers. I would not invest in either A or B.
I wouldn't invest in any single coin at that price level. With $15K, I wouldn't "invest" in coins, period. Now, once you start getting into the mid/high 6 figures, there are a few coins I'd consider investing in, provided that money represented a suitably small fraction of my overall portfolio. (In other words, I'd have to be richer than I can ever currently dream of being before that becomes a possibility.)
My wife and I pretty much follow the Dave Ramsey path. We max Roth IRAs, and any extra we save/pay towards the house. I do have a few coins in my "collection" that when I find a buyer willing to pay more than I paid, I sell. So I guess I have a small amount of coins in my investment, but there is no way that would ever be my main way of investing.
(C) and if you really want to get risky, how about currency speculation, got a couple million Vietnamese dong. Maybe Iraqi Dinar, Zimbabwe Dollars? Sounds crazy but I don't invest, I collect.
I would diversify. If I were to do a balance of coins bought and sold, I'm definitely in the red and don't personally recommend investing in coins. Now, I do have lots of coins I love and even though I'm in the red, I'm happy.
I'd go with the 939 ounces of silver. Bonds are a bad idea and our economy and currency are headed for a collapse.
Silver is cheap now. Of course if it was a coin I can easily sell for $30K today, I would definitely buy it at $15k. I don't think I would put all my eggs in one basket like that though and would prefer many coins at that price, mostly old gold.
Neither a $15,000 coin, nor 939 silver bars can truly be considered and "investment." If you purchase either of these you are buying on speculation. That said, if you had $15,000 available, I would purchase a diverse group of items rather put all of my eggs in one basket. With a diverse group you are hedging your bets and protecting the overall capital. Plus you will then be able to sell these items when you deem necessary, and hopefully when you have a willing buyer. Stick with pieces that have a wide appeal, are actively traded and have a liquid market.
The best way I have found to make money in coins is to know your varieties, buy unattributed coins, and then sell the coin attributed. You can have a substantial spread between the two.
Thanks for the opinions. I don't think (3) $20 liberty gold double eagles MS-65 (Random years) and (3) $20 Saint Gaudens Double eagles MS-65 would be a bad purchase.