hello everyone have a question about Apmex

WHO made a killing? The average Joe? How? Look at the mintages! By far most buy silver when it's up and sell when it's down. I was just at an auction a few weeks back when silver was even lower than now, and about 100 2011 ASE's were in the auction. Who made money on that? Not the guy who bought them in 2011, that's for sure!

Over 97% of people who dabble in commodities lose money. Not a sound plan.

 

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The same can be said for the stock market and real estate. I've done well in all 3, and I've seen neighbors go broke while staring at the motorhome they bought with their re-finance money.

But I've done well more often than not - understanding that a lot is speculation, and the success comes in studying and making small measured consistent moves. And making sure you don't have to make a move until you want to - knowing the potential losses.

My best investment ever was a slot machine in Sparks Nevada that paid me a cool $21k on a $200 investment. Just a touch of speculation on that one.

To make money in any given market, I have my "bus ride" postulate.

When the bus is empty, you get a cheap ride and can choose the best seat in the house. As the bus fills up, the price of seats rises - and selection becomes smaller - until everyone is bidding for the best seat on the bus - until they realize that the price of the seat really isn't worth it anymore and prices start to stagnate.

At that point your best move is to sell your seat first - and watch as others follow trying to get off the bus before the crash. Pretty soon the price of seats goes down, the selection increases and the bus is offering deals for anyone to hop on and ride.

Two things to learn from this postulate:

1. Don't be a follower - be a leader. To do this, you should study the market and know what you are doing - making a conscious move.

2. It pays to be the middle-man. The bus driver was quietly getting paid commission for every transaction along the way.

Good hunting to you all, and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend! Remember all of those that made all of this possible for us!

 

Good stuff, but then you'll understand the eternal conflict between guy A wanting to BE the middle man, and guy B struggling to AVOID dealing with that same middle man.

And remember that "be a leader, not a follower" is a great idea, unless it silently morphs into a Ponzi scheme, at which point capitalism and free markets simultaneously morph silently into indictments.

 

That kind sir, is the game of life. The good middle man brings knowledge and experience and adds real value. Smart ones will seek him out and learn before venturing out on their own. The rest are just statistics of the herd.

 

I am not a bullionist as well but lets not forget that one of the PRIMARY reasons that folks "collect" coins in the first place is for their intrinsic metal content also known as "silver". If this were NOT true, then there would be hoards of coin collectors seeking to upgrade those 1971-1998 sets of Jeffersons,. Roosevelt, Washington's, Kennedy's and Eisenhower Dollars but I'd bet even money, that folks do not search modern coinage for any reason other than to obtain "silver" (i.e. bullion based) coinage.

Countless millions of dollars of per-1965 coinage is stored, bought, and sold for silver melt.

Both you and I know what happened in 1980 and most folks know what happened in 2011. That's a 31 year gap that the folks who bought in 1980 had to wait "just to get their money back". Not a wise choice of speculation to which I am in complete agreement. But, when the fish are feeding, it's prudent to feed the fish which is how people make money in the "bullion world" AND it's not for everybody.

However, in the course of purchasing "bullion", whether its junk silver, Silver Eagles, or Silver Rounds, most folks will find something that they like for whatever reason(s). I happened across the Zombucks and it fell exactly into line with what I and many others liked at the time and still like. Kind of a cross between classic coinage designs and coin carving. Available in Silver and Copper bullion slugs, it eases my mind in knowing that should push come to shove, I'd find it ewasier to sell them than I would come Coin Collecting Club's medallion or possibly a wooden nickel as there are bazillions of those out there which folks scoop up on a whim.

The OP is trying to stretch his "buying dollar" which could very well snap back into his face and many folks have warned him and educated him of just such an occurrence as there are no "lasting" sure things in coin collecting.

 

Well then, I guess I'm just not "folks", huh? Because I've been collecting for 52 years and I couldn't give a rodent's rump about silver or intrinsic value. I am all about the artistry, and that is even if the coin in question is made of silver, copper, cupro-nickel, or aluminum brass or pure zinc, and brother, I have them all. I could not give one whit less how many protons are in a coin's atomic nuclei, I care about the condition and the "shape of the boundary between the metallic atoms and the nearby gaseous ones". Okay with you?

Oh, and my Lincolns, Jeffersons, Roosevelts, Kennedys, Washingtons, and Eisenhowers, SBA's, Sacs, and Presidentials are ALL COMPLETE in MS 64+ from 1965 right up to 2015 as applicable too, WITH all the applicable proofs, again if that's okay with you.

By the way, looking at the WHOLE series, I'm complete in all alloys in all of those in MS64 and up except for a few earlier mint marked Lincolns and 4 Washingtons. The rest are complete complete. I need one Merc to finish the short set in 64+ (34-45), and I'm one Walker short from 1939-47 in 64+. So I don't avoid silver per se, nor do I seek it. And aside from real rarities, or at least pre-1933, for U.S. issues, if it ain't in the MS range, I don't keep it.

 

oh good now we know your negativity towards silver....

 

Yes, you do. I consider silver chasing a mental illness.

 

that is your opinion. you say you are all about "the artistry" but then again you have to know the value of your own coins. what do you place more value in ? artistry or value of your coins ? just curious. if to personal you need not answer it.

 

I like silver, especially when I find it roll searching, in the coin machine reject bin, or in change. Reminded me when I cashed out a bunch of silver dimes I found. The guy was like "it's only stuff". I was like "Uh, I found these roll searching". I am glad I sold a lot of them when I did, silver was around $32 an ounce. Well what I didn't need for my book.

Sounds like if the OP has a lot of time on his hand, he mind as well use his $500 to open an account with a change machine and start getting some rolls.

 

Always? The artistry. Look at a couple of times per year? The values. Most of my stuff isn't even in the NGC database, only the slabbed stuff, 1/10 of 1% or less.

Would it surprise you that of my 10 highest valued slabs in terms of FMV, only 3 are of a precious metal, and two are cupro-nickel clads? That's what extraordinary condition yields.

 

my King of my collection is copper. my avatar pic. high grade and very rare and expensive. lol I will never sell it.

 

Yes sir! Same here. Most of my finest pieces are majority copper, some over 90%, some only 75%.

 

I am glad we agree on something. good day to you sir.

 

Kurt, c'mon over to the old dark side. It sounds like you'd enjoy collecting ancient coins

Artistry? I'll show you artistry


SICILY, Syracuse. Agathokles (317-289 BCE)
310-305 BCE
AR tetradrachm, 17.40 g, 24 mm
Obv: head of the nymph Arethusa left, wearing grain wreath, earring and necklace; around, three dolphins; under, monogram (NK?)
Rev: ΣYPAKOΣIΩN, fast chariot charioteer leads to left, holding reins and kentron; above, triskeles; in exergue, monogram
Ref: Ierardi 12 (O2-R8); SNG Copenhagen 573 var., SNG ANS 637
ArtCoinsRoma, auction 8, Feb. 2014

 

amazing coin TIF

 

I know, right? But aside from my good friend Kerry Wetterstrom, former publisher of The Celator, I feel I'd need pretty significant mentoring, and Kerry is as busy as a one-legged man in a tush-kicking contest. Besides, the government seems intent on ruining that segment with its MOU's.

 

Mentoring? You can learn a great deal just from reading everything on CT's Ancients board and following links to many members' educational websites.

As for the MOUs, yeah, that has been disheartening but far from hobby-ending, at least so far-- and all the more reason to get them now.

This week's NAC auctions may have set a new record. It's a very active collecting niche.

 

Exactly opposite to the support of a politician with a thin record - the support of the ancient market is a yard wide and a mile deep. Seems like everyone at NYINC is on a first name basis.

 

Real smart, put all your eggs in one basket. I'm guessing you are really young? Jim Kramer has been wrong more times than days you've been alive.