I know an argument is more silver for your dollar. This assumes you are stacking for a collapse maybe. If you are stacking for a hedge on inflation or an investment why not ASE? They carry a higher premium on the buy side but based on several sites the sell side has an even higher premium as compared to a bar or round. ex you may pay a $1.5 more per but could sell for $1.6 more. I would think they would be the "safest" silver and the easiest to sell. I am new to this so I would appreciate the insight and your experience.
Not sure if my answer is going to help you - but I buy ASEs generally. They look nicer, they're more recognizable, and they're minted by a government. Most of the ASEs I bought were sold as "impared" or "circulated" so they were the same as generic rounds, which I thought was a great deal. (They have a milk spot on them or some other minor blemish)
You have the right idea if your plan is to stack and sell back to dealers. In the case you point out, the spread is more important than the premium. If your plan is to stack as many ounces as cheap as you can, then go ahead, know yourself out. There are also some "generics" or non-government issues that can or have shown they can garner a nice premium in the aftermarket, so if you're looking for a medium to shorter term flip for profit, you could try that at as well. I think the important thing is to ask yourself what are you trying to accomplish, do you have a game plan, and are you willing to make adjustments to that game plan when needed. So ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish...probably the best advice you're going to get....
Me myself, if I am adding to my "Silver Stack" then I go with whatever has the smallest premium. That's usually generic rounds, bars unless my local pawn shop got in more ASEs. If I am adding to my SAB collection, then it is the 70's Silver Art bars. I have paid a HEFTY premium on a couple of those.
At $20 silver, if you pay an extra $1 premium for the ASE, that's 5%. $2 is 10%. That's pretty good if you are selling your stack. But what if silver is $100/oz when you're old and ready to sell? What's the premium going to be then? If it's still a couple dollars extra then you're only getting 2%. Maybe it would have been better to get the extra 5-10% ounces when you were buying as a youngster. It's hard to say. You are speculating on the direction of spot prices and on the ASE to generic premium ratios. Which will be more valuable, more ounces or the premium?
This pretty much sums it up for the way I buy. I buy and hold it for long term, so I want the the cheapest premium I can get so I can get the most silver possible. Hopefully in 30-50 years when I sell it.. i'll make more on the price per oz then premium above spot
What if silver goes down to $5 an ounce and the premiums stay the same, or they increase as we saw when silver went from $30 to $20? Then you'd lose less money than if you had bought the cheapest silver you could find. Just sayin...
I buy half and half (roughly) I like both Government minted and private minted. I'll buy government coins and private minted bars. I like bars more myself but coins arent bad looking either. 10 oz bars are my favorite
