Is silver a foolish buy right now?

Discussion in 'Bullion Investing' started by Jeepfreak81, Mar 7, 2022.

  1. Blasty

    Blasty Gold Member

    Talking electrical properties, silver is very interesting because its oxide also happens to be highly conductive. That makes it great for the contacts inside relays and industrial contactors* where arcs during switching cause oxidation, and also a great plating material for high-current power connectors.

    I've often wondered why silver plating doesn't replace gold entirely in smaller electrical connectors. Perhaps dendrite growth becomes a concern, or perhaps because it just looks dirty over time and consumers would question it.

    *Scrapper tip: Some people are wise to this and if they have access to retired equipment, will disassemble these to harvest the little chunks of silver. The contacts themselves are often solid, not plated, as they are subject to erosion as part of normal use. However, tinkerers like me will often find more value in the smaller relays if kept as they are.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2022
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  3. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    Who knows what is foolish? This feels like the late 1970s and early '80s all over again. Fuel prices are inflating the economy, the Fed has put too much money into the economy, in my opinion, and inflation is bad and getting worse.

    Back then you had the Hunt Brothers, who were billionaires, mortgaging everything, including their underwear, to buy silver, which pushed it up to a high of $55 and ounce. Then it collapsed, and they managed to bankrupt themselves.

    The only thing I won’t do is go deep into debt to buy precious metals. There will be a correction, and if you are heavily leveraged (too much debt) you can be ruined in nothing flat.
     
    fretboard likes this.
  4. jb10000lakes

    jb10000lakes Well-Known Member

    Nope. It's because the gold doesn't tarnish or build up oxide, therefore you (almost) always have a good electrical connection between two surfaces that are essentially just butted up against each other (like circuit board fingers). Much like the "turn it off and on" for a reboot of pcs, "reseating" the circuit boards (or hitting the fingers up with an eraser) was the initial troubleshooting "fix" for all kinds of electronics.
     
    Heavymetal likes this.
  5. atariguy

    atariguy Member

    That's the kind of silver I like. I also like Silver Eagles and Libertads. They have value in more than just the silver, and I enjoy owning them. I believe that's the best kind of investment, because then you're not always just worried about prices. Buy what you like, and if it turns out to be worth selling at some point - and you want to sell it - it's a bonus.
     
  6. Mr. Flute

    Mr. Flute Well-Known Member

    I'm debating buying more IFC (intended for circulation) foreign junk silver today.

    I find it much more fun than bullion.
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2022
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  7. Phil's Coins

    Phil's Coins Well-Known Member

    At 20.2x, I have a TON of junk he can purchase.
    Semper Fi
     
  8. Cinco71

    Cinco71 Well-Known Member

    If I knew your store's name, I'd give your selection a look. Always good to transact with fellow CoinTalkers.
     
  9. slackaction1

    slackaction1 Supporter! Supporter

    SELLERS MARKET for sure around here 40.00 for an average ASE and Morgan are going for 30 and up. same with Peace Dollars. mostly high 30's and more depending on date, condition not including any CC. I have noticed on some sites that people are not necessarily familiar with prices and list around spot and it sold immediately usually early mornings is when I see I missed it again. every now and then a sow gets an acorn.
     
  10. Chris Winkler

    Chris Winkler Well-Known Member

    What metal do you like for growth?
     
  11. mpcusa

    mpcusa "Official C.T. TROLL SWEEPER"

    More upside to GOLD with PLATINUm
    a close second, SILVER not so much
    just not allot of growth potential there.
     
  12. manny9655

    manny9655 Well-Known Member

    Ever hear of "black pad syndrome"? It's when the gold/nickel alloy isn't prepared properly. When you try to solder to them, the pad won't take the solder and the pad turns dark gray or black.
     
  13. Cheech9712

    Cheech9712 Every thing is a guess

    But what if you do?
     
  14. Cheech9712

    Cheech9712 Every thing is a guess

    See I don’t really get that stacking stuff. You lose to much on life not spending the lion’s share of your wealth. You can stack and recount all you want. But you’ll be bye yourself. God I hope I have more friends then money
     
  15. Mr. Flute

    Mr. Flute Well-Known Member

    Yeesh. Lighten up, Francis.
     
  16. mpcusa

    mpcusa "Official C.T. TROLL SWEEPER"

    Its all about building wealth over a period of time ;)
     
  17. ede1964

    ede1964 Active Member

    Generational wealth. Stack it and “forget it” for the grandkids
     
    mpcusa and usmc 6123 like this.
  18. mpcusa

    mpcusa "Official C.T. TROLL SWEEPER"

    Stacking is long term, kids and grand
    kids will make the choice of when and
    ware to dispose of it :)
     
  19. slackaction1

    slackaction1 Supporter! Supporter

    Maybe maybe not, I might want to unload some at these PREMIUMS and take the foam as you call it..
     
  20. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    It may not be foolish if you truly love Silver but as far as selling the Silver you buy today, at a later date for profit, it's risky. tmoney - Copy.gif
     
  21. mpcusa

    mpcusa "Official C.T. TROLL SWEEPER"

    I can see very little upside in making a decent profit off of Silver, we our talking
    cents here, I can only hope that it stays about the same, many silver mines
    have closed because there's just enough money in it, though my main focus is
    on GOLD if I see something cool in the way of silver I will buy it :)
     
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