I hate Ebay I was browsing ebay to look for some coins, and i stumbled upon Silver ART Bars I like their design, but dont know anything about them. Are sales like this worth it? or not? And how "big" is a bar like that from 1gram? http://www.ebay.com/itm/999-Pure-Silver-Bullion-Art-Bar-Moose-/330536830402?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item4cf587c5c2#ht_2121wt_1165 *edit: i found the same bars for $3 on ebay also (wich is cheaper)
I love to collect certain types of silver art bars and I have been seriously collecting silver art bars since August 2008. I collect them because of the various designs and the various themes. I personally do not like 1 gram silver art bars. A 1 gram size is not very big at all since it appears to be slightly bigger than a 1 gram gold bar. I prefer to collect 1-oz silver art bars and I prefer to buy them from local coin dealers and at coin shows because they are usually treated as .999 generic silver and will be priced at .999 generic silver premiums. With that said, I do sometimes buy rare silver art bars on ebay that I am looking but it is not very often since you are paying a collector's premium for it. If you want to get started on silver art bar collecting, then you should go to a coin show or to a local coin shop to see what you can find. That is how I got starting collecting.
coin shops and coinshows are not that common here unfortunatly. So if i want to start collecting them, i have almost no other option than Ebay
In that case, I would look on ebay and browse around and see what silver art bars appeal to you and bid on them. It might take you awhile to look on ebay because there are several ones that you can buy. The old silver art bars that were minted in the 1970's are the best ones to collect in my opinion. However, be prepared to buy a collector's premium for them because certain ones seem to be very popular. Sometimes there can be some bargains but not very many. The Coca-Cola silver art bars seem to be the most popular since they bring very high premiums. I think that the key here when it comes to buying silver art bars on ebay is to buy what you like.
my biggest problem is that i am used to calculate in grams (thats what we use) So when they talk about oz, ounce and stuff like that i always need to go and check howmuch grams that is. That and i have no idea howmuch the silver is standing at this moment (and most sites give some graphs about it, but i dont understand the graphs) if you as playing expert (you said it yourself in your sig ) could help me out with it a bit it would be greatly apriciated
Ok. No problem. I will start off with this. The measure that we (U.S. citizens) use for silver is a troy oz. A troy oz is equal to 31.1 grams. If you want to check gold and silver prices, then you can go to the following site to check the daily spot price for silver: http://www.kitcosilver.com/ Keep in mind that it is price per troy oz. For example, the spot price is currently at $34.32. That is $34.32 per troy oz. I do not look at any graphs since I am not a trader or a speculator. I just concentrate on the watching ebay U.S prices to get an idea of what the silver art bar prices and I also go to local dealers and coin shows to hunt for silver art bars that I like for the lowest price possible.
thanks for the info. Now i have never been a mathlete So if 1 troy oz costs $34.32 then to calculate the price per gram i need to divide the $34.32 with 31.1 That is how i see it, or am i just plain stupid (you dont realy have to answer that )
I will admit that I have never been great at math and I am the wrong person to ask on math since I only deal with troy oz weights when I buy silver art bars. Billyray and everybody else are much better at math than I am. See Billyray's posts for math references.
i am undr the impression silver bars are not realy cheap at the current silver rate... Going to think it over before i buy one. Thank you for the information tough, learned alot from it allready, so that s going to come in handy when i start bullion collecting
It really depends on the silver art bar and where you buy silver art bars from. Generally speaking in my case, I usually pay the lowest premium on them when I go to coin shows and when I to the coin shops in my local area. However, some of the hard-to-find silver art bars that I usually have to bid on them on ebay to have a chance of obtaining one. If ebay is your only option based on where you live, then you should look on ebay and bid on ones that you like. You are right in that most silver art bars that are selling on ebay are selling at the highest premium over any other type of silver that is currently sold on ebay. Specifically, 1-troy oz Coca-Cola silver art bars will usually carry the highest premium of any silver art bar on ebay. The reason for that is because they are very popular to collect and several of them are very hard to find. Generally speaking, Coca-Cola bars on ebay will usually cost between $40 to as much as $2000+ on ebay depending on the type of Coca-Cola bar. A lot of the art bars that were minted in the 1970's will also carry a premium on ebay because of the rarity value and the fact that there are not many that were minted. My advice is to browse on ebay to take a look at of certain 1-troy oz silver art bars are selling for. This will give you an idea of how much certain ones cost on ebay. You will be amazed at how much of a premium that certain ones go for.
oke, found something i like and ordered it (going to buy one to begin with, if i recieve it i will see if i continue with bullion or not, its is not trown away money in my opinion whatsoever) How do you store 1oz bars?
I store them in different ways. There are airtites that are specifically made to fit a standard size 1-troy oz silver bar. For my rare art bars, I use those airtites to store them in to get the maximum protection from exposure to air. For certain other silver art bars, I use albums that will specifically fit 1 troy oz bars. For the rest of my collection, I keep them in the regular coin flaps that they usually come in.
i asume that copper 1-troy oz bars have the same size as silver bars? I found (not bought them yet) some nice looking copper bars, that is why i ask. Do you have an example of such an album, because i have the idea i cant find one like that
I like Dansco albums and here are a couple of examples of Dansco albums that will fit a standard size silver art bar: http://www.apmex.com/Product/589/Dansco_Album_7085___Silver_Bars_Horizontal_40_Ports.aspx http://www.apmex.com/Product/590/Dansco_Album_7086___Silver_Bars_Vertical_45_ports.aspx
it seemst that those albums are not for sale here in Belgium. but i found some 1troy oz sleeves. thing is that i dont realy am intrested in the silver or the gold, i would buy them for the design. i found some nice looking and affordable copper bars that i made a bid on and won. It may be just copper, but like i said its for the art on them, not the material
You can also find those two Dansco Albums (#7085 and #7086) on ebay and I think that they are selling for around the same price. The only thing that I am not sure about is if they ship overseas if that ebay seller is in the United States.
