i have my bullion stored in a small vault. Should I be adding anything to the vault like a dehumidifier to protect the coins?
http://www.jpscorner.com/Silica_Gel_Desiccant.htm Unless you live in and store your coins in a very dry environment, the addition of desiccant is recommended to reduce humidity.
Yeah, its just bullion anyway. Do you really care if it tones? I use a couple of desiccant bags in my safe for coins, but bullion I could care less about toning.
In the case of ASEs, a little extra care might pay off someday since the coins are both bullion and an emerging numismatic collectible [in my opinion]. I've also noticed that plain old silver rounds sometimes command a slightly higher price if they are still white. There might be no logic to it, but that's what the market demands.
Most older bullion that I encounter does not tone that well at all.(especially silver) Each piece is different as far as what it`s worth as well. Some bullion that is worth more than spot value on the secondary market... and if it`s toned nice,(and uniform) might be worth a little more to a collector.....But that`s what`s good about collecting bullion...Toning matters very little. I have many pieces in my collection that I have put much effort into, trying to put the luster back in them, and getting rid of horrendous, partial toning. One piece I have is an International Trade Unit(.999 silver) with the scale on the front and Mount Rushmore on the reverse with the words "Only God Conquers, Lest We Forget".....The round was not toned good, but Mt. Rushmore was toned a nice light brown. I cleaned the rest of the piece EXCEPT Mt. Rushmore and it looks really nice. Again, just a personal preference. But using something like silica gel, etc, is always a good move if You have some ASE`s in there.
