I'm never going to buy .9999 Canadian Silver again.

I'm just echoing krispy here, but if you're buying for bullion milk spots or scratches won't make a difference. My ASEs are bullion and have been some of my best buys as my former LCS would put spotted or "impaired" ASEs into the generic round bin that were selling for $0.50 - $1.50 over spot. And going by what I've read, milk spots are a fact of life when dealing with .999 silver.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I would agree the sentiments of Krispy, Jwt708 and others here. The quality of the bullion coins is hit or miss and when you think that these coins are initially supplied in tubes rather than capsules, it is no wonder. That's not to say that it doesn't hurt when a beautiful coin arrives and you see something you didn't want to.

I have found Perths to be consistently better quality and RCM the mint most likely to have issues. I suspect that the Canadians are concentrating on far larger numbers over a far larger spread of designs.

 

But the OP stated .9999. Is there really that much of a difference where one is more susceptible to developing those milk spots? I thought the milk spotted ones just left the mint (or mint's) at random, with little to no QC.

 

No, he's just a little new to these products and how they arrive, the marks, spots, etc. And it's probably eye-opening since he's been more into coins and knows about such conditional matters collectors take heed of. The way the thread is titled is more about the kind of coin and not so much about how just that type of coin takes damage. You're right in what you thought.

 

So I got a reply from Apmex they said the returns department will look through my message and will contact me with return information. Let's hope they accept a return! I'm probably going to get the same coin and just get the correct holder this time so that it does not scratch. Thanks for all your help! I'll keep you all posted if you'd like.

 

Sure! Let us know. I think you're covered with the APMEX return though.

 

53 hours already passed and still no reply..... What should I do?

 

Keep calling. They'll be closed tomorrow. APMEX does have a live chat option online if you can do that, to help speed the process along, find someone who can help you or tell you what process for handling a return for items bought via eBay. The Live Chat link is at the top, right side of the homepage.

 

Thanks, I got it all sorted out. Will be shipping the coin back either today or Friday.

 

Great!

 

I know that the damage on your coin was troublesome but I have come to accept that an amount of issues on some bullion coins is inevitable. Condition of some secondhand on ebay are awful and you never really know what you are going to get until it arrives.

So assuming the replacement is good, where do you think this is leading? It's pretty addictive as the range of bullion coins is huge. Are you planning on sticking with RCM or diversifying? How about rounds and bars?

 

I think I'm going to buy from them again since APMEX was so nice about it and so many people have said their coins have no defects what so ever. I think I was just unlucky with the coin they picked to send me. The next RCM coin I order will probably be the new 2015 1.25 oz $8 Canadian Silver Bison Coin. I actually bought a Year of the Horse bar a couple days ago from a local shop as a Christmas gift for my nephew and I love it! I'm sure the RCM has some beautiful bars and rounds that I just haven't seen yet, so yeah I'll be buying both.

Also could I ask what the size of the holder you're using is? I can't seem to find the correct size, on apmex.com it says the diameter is 38mm and on apmex's ebay listing it says 36.07.

 

Wait a minute! I thought you were "never going to buy 9999 Canadian silver again"?
What happened?

Don't think you won't get other coins from APMEX or JM or other dealers you buy from directly that are problem free bullion. It's really common with bullion to get spots, rub marks, tiny scratches, even right out of the tube sealed by the Mints that package them. We kinda covered this already in this thread, but these "coins" are not produced in the same manner of care as are collector editions, Proof coins and the like... even if the bullion coins are limited by a mintage.

Also, I would still caution buying odd weights of bullion coins. 1-1/4 ounce is uncommon. I would stick with 1 ounce and 5 ounce pieces. As much as I like Libertads, I steer clear of their 2 oz. coins, too. Larger bars for things like 10 oz. through to 100 oz. or 1 kilogram bars are better, if boring. Some Mints produce kilo coins as well, but I'm not sure those are wise investments either. They are hard to sell off, compared to bars from well known refiners.

These Mints are making so many products they keep trying to offer fractions below the 1 ounce range to entice people on smaller budgets and those who may think trade in silver coins in fractions is beneficial compared to full ounce coins (should the world or commerce ever come to it). But that's why junk-silver coins are better for that and the amount you get out of the cost to obtain them. And now there are these odd denominations and fractionals above the 1 ounce mark doing the same. I think the fractionals, while costing you more of a premium and making the Mint more bank, are more designed to keep people chasing after all these oddball additions and collectibles but they really offer poor value for an investment. Just be careful loading up on odds and ends like these.

That's just my thoughts and suggestions about them. I know some folks are collecting these things and less about investing, but if you have a coin collectors background, it should direct you to collectible numismatic rarities and such, compared to trendy fads we see following the market cycle of PMs.

 

Good luck with you exchange, and best wishes on a problem free replacement! I know what a shock a marred coin can be to a bullion collector. Rounds such as this have an artistic appeal that some people "get". Others have a "bullion is bullion is bullion" mentality. You just want it to look good, and keep it looking good (as most people do with art). I get it.

 

Yeah I understand your tips and thanks for them, but I want to collect silver and the fractional silver is what I like, it gives a little more "pizzaz" to the collection.

 

Thanks!

 

Well, let us know how it goes And post some stuff when you get a chance. Have a happy holiday.

 

I have a cheapie micrometer that offers a result slightly better than a guess. According to it,the size is 38.19mm and as I use the square Quadrum containers that have a foam insert to convert the square to round there is a bit of flexibility and it is in a 38mm case. Hope this helps and good luck with the bullion collection. I love my silver.

 

I thought you mentioned you put it in the wrong size holder, implying that it probably moved around and got nicked inside of it. If that's the case, why would APMEX be responsible? I don't get that. Even if it arrived like that, and you paid close to bullion, why even bother sending it back? It's a bullion coin with a small mark up, and it's sold like that usually. Even the majority in this animal series doesn't bring much over bullion, unless they're graded. In any case, I'd just stick with more collectible coins

 

I'm not buying bullion just cause it's bullion... I've stated there multiple times that I collect it, I don't care how much it will bring me in the future, I just love how it looks.

Where did you read me saying that APMEX is responsible? I never typed anything remotely close to that. All I said was that the coin is scratched and if there was a way to fix that... Everyone else started suggesting I contact APMEX and I did. I don't see how you could blame all that on me lol.