I stack junk silver and I ask one simple question- Foreign silver, pros,cons risks, rewards? Any info is greatly appreciated!
There is an app called "Silver Coin Database" for Android (and maybe IOS) that I recommend getting. So many countries minted silver coins at different times with different purities, that you can never be sure. As a whole, it is nice though as you can find beautiful foreign silver coins without the premium.
If you are in the US I would recommend against it unless you can get it well below spot. People generally acquire junk silver for extreme situations. Foreign silver it not as likely to be usable under such situations.
I've seen coin from.300-.950 and everything in between, it's all fun, and gets harder to find every year
Just for Fun....an Original roll of German 5 Mark pieces...altogether 200 Mark. Another way to stack foreign Silver.
Ich hab gerade ein paar 5 Mark gekauft. Die funktionieren für meine Münzensammlung und auch für Stacking
That's very cool. But that Fraktur k at the end sent me off to Wikipedia -- I somehow imagined another k before it, and was trying to interpret it as an s. Apparently I need coffee.
Especially for me that's not foreign Silver, since I'm German. I like these pieces for their high silver content, historical background and conveniant size. In MS these pieces are very pricey, but in fine or very fine they are very affordable. If you like to I show you all of them and open the roll.
I have a lot of foreign junk silver. If you're looking to melt it or flip it on Ebay there are amazing deals. I've found refiners that will melt it into 99% bars/rounds for a $1/ounce. If it's an extreme barter scenario like Sakata describes it might be problematic. I generally prefer the big coins that are 90%. Though I'll buy low mintage Canada dollars all day close to spot. In a barter scenario, many U.S. Preppers believe that the Canadian coinage [though only 80%] will be a recognized and accepted barter commodity, just like U.S. junk.
Don't worry, there's no evidence a barter scenario is imminent. Further, there's absolutely no evidence that 90% silver American coins would be the currency of choice in such a doomsday situation. However, what is testable and evidence-based is to determine how close to spot you can buy these various old silver junk coins and how much you can resell them for to your local shop, coin community, or on the internet. After doing your research and considering what junk silver you also personally like, you should be well equipped to make a good decision about what to buy. Personally, I like American and Canadian junk.
I would do market research on each coin to get its realistic salable value for its grade/year/mint. Then compare that value to its base bullion value. The higher the market to bullion value the more money you have tied up in numismatics. Do you have more faith in bullion or numismatics over time? Sell those you have the least faith in. And keep in mind coins are a lot easier to liquidate for their bullion value rather than their numismatic value. When silver is low/sluggish as it is now, I would focus on moving the high ratio numismatic coins for their max attainable value. When silver's hot, then move the bullion. That's what works for me. It only takes a week or two of silver on a consistent rise to drive bidding higher. But also keep in mind that numismatic-wise Canadian coinage is often selling well below book values. It's a good time to buy it, but not necessarily to sell it. If a particular series is underperforming in the marketplace it may be best to hold.