I am a silver novice and have a mix of 90%, generic bars and rounds along with a few tubes of silver eagles. Now, I do have a 1oz gold coin that I would like to sell I believe and get all into silver instead of both but am unsure the best route to go moving forward. Would I be better served by adding more ASE's or 5-10 ounce bars or save some extra cash along with the coin and pick up a 100oz bar? I have heard good and bad things about the large bars but it seems with every choice you have positives and negatives so I thought I would ask those who have been doing this longer. Also, for reference I do not intend on selling any of my silver anytime soon as its a long term investment and not a flip for profit plan. thanks
I think diversity is very helpful plus fun to stack, i personally started with junk silver, then began getting bullion but any silver is good silver so good luck stacking! personally I wouldn't get a 1000z bar because then you have to sell it to a special type of person and it slims your market when you do sell it.
I think there are few types of stackers. My rule of thumb is to stack smaller size. I find it is easier to find people to buy 5oz or less coin/bar than those that want the 10oz or 1kilo bar/coin. Yes it is cheaper to buy the bigger size because you are not paying the high premium. Reason for that is, well, not many people buying those size. Plus shipping these are not cheaps. I know you mentioned you stacking for long term and not aiming to sell right away. That being said, for me, I always asked my self "what if I want to get out of stacking silver" or "I need the cash form some emergency situation", how difficult is it for me to sell it to someone with some gains. For me, it is easier to find someone to buy these smaller size coins/bar than one that will buy larger size. Plus, in my experience, those that buy larger size bars/coins usually very experience stackers and very price conscious.
IMO the only real benefit to large bars is that they are generally more affordable. Otherwise they are less liquid and harder to sell. 5 oz bars seem to be very popular. 10 oz'ers can be a slightly harder sell. If you can get 5 oz bars for the same premium as 10 oz or 100 oz I would jump on it, but it's hard to argue against eagles too. The main draw for eagles is for ease of resale due to recognizeability and trustworthiness. If you don't plan on selling for a long time then 5 and 10 oz bars sound good to me. That's how I started out.
My plan is a 20 plus year plan and not a flip for profit idea. That is why I was wondering about the larger bars. My plan is to give a portion to my son when he graduates and then the rest is for my long term saving. Hopefully the economy stays afloat and when those events occur I can have a nice sized stack to give him as well as for myself. A lot of the bars I have looked at in the 10oz range are really nice but you are paying a good premium for them but I guess if you figure up Eagles then you are as well when you buy them a mint tube at a time.
I like to change slowly towards numismatic silver and a little gold. I just got an 1894 Guatemalan peso coin for close to the melt value, so I think it can only go up. You can get more for your money if you look around for what I call "slightly numismatic" coins. This means coins that can be had for their silver value, or close to it, and that may have some more value in the future. If nothing else they can't drop below their intrinsic value.
There`s nothing wrong with owning a 100 oz bar, except if all of Your eggs are in its basket, so to speak. I agree with the other comments on here about diversification. Spread it out. If the 100 oz behemoth was where the majority of Your investment would lie, You`re leaving Yourself somewhat vulnerable. The behemoth is not practical should You ever want or need to recoup a fraction of Your investment.....unless You plan on cutting it up. I myself try to own as much variety as I can. Silver Eagles, older bars/rounds, Australian bullion, Morgans, modern mint coins, new and older gold, and anything silver that is toned. I like to trade with people as well, so the variety comes in handy.
Yes, I have to admit that anything made of silver is ok by me. I saw an amazing Chinese ingot the other day. It's shaped like a really heavy pair of binoculars. The guy at the pawn shop said it's worth about $5000. I'll admit I wanted it. I just don't have the 5 grand. Great to see it anyway.
I would give your son coins as opposed to bars. I was given a 100oz bar by my Grandmother in my pre-silverbug teen years. I took it to my LCS for cash and did not get back into silver until years later. I think coins make better family gifts as they are more compelling to non-sliverbug types. Get some rolls of ASEs and/or Libertads for your son. Buy whatever you like for yourself. I think Libertads make great gifts; they are beautiful, their premium can increase with time, and they are around the same price as ASEs. Also, I think you are smart to flip some gold for silver right now. I'm going to buy gold again when the silver:gold ratio is under 30:1. I want that thing!!!!!
