Buying silver, where to start

I agree , Seen these
0.5 gram 2025 Australian Mini Roo Proof Gold Coin in Card | Perth Mint

 

for the love of all things holy, that is almost 5k (USD) per ounce. That is insane.
That's why buying less than a full ounce is typically not a good idea.

 

That's why I stick with silver, especially as a prepper. Gold just is just too expensive for daily transactions, unless you are buying a farm. Even the 1/10th oz. gold coins would be difficult to use for small purchases after SHTF. I've got old copper pennies and nickels to make change with, and a metal punch to create my own coinage using existing US coinage.
I recently made a very small purchase of silver. I figured that prices weren't going down anytime soon, and I wanted to stick with my purchasing plan, sooooo I bought when the price dipped a few bucks and then Israel and Iran got into a shooting war, and it jumped back to $37 today. I prefer to stick with pre-1965 US 90% silver coins in average circulation condition and below, as long as it isn't slick, because the 'true' value of a coin is its metal content. Post-SHTF nobody is gonna care if a coin is rare or in MS-65 or MS-70 condition, all they are gonna want to know is how much gold or silver it contains and its purchasing power.

 

The problem with "Junk Silver", pre '64 coins, is that most people no longer know they have value beyond collectors. I have a bunch accumulated and I guess I will have to trade them in for 1 oz rounds with COAs because 90% of people have no clue there is silver in these old coins.

 

Can someone explain this ,, or answer this question.
I can buy Silver Eagles for 43+ dollars ,, or a Silver Round or Bar for 35+,,,
Are there any advantages for buying the Eagles versus rounds or bars ?
If I sell an Eagle ,, am I going to get that much more over spot price for them .
Thanks for any responses.

 

Depends on who you sell the eagle to. I have a mix of eagles, maples and rounds as well as some poured bars and junk silver. Many delaers try and screw the sellers and then screw the buyers. I have a pocket pinger that I use when I buy from private people.

 

But in a SHTF moment,, an ounce of silver is still an ounce ,, the eagle imprint is going to add any value,, does it .
So if I buy 10oz of Eagles for 430 bucks ,, or Bars or Rounds for 365 bucks ,, you're looking at about 2oz extra in bars or rounds that can be bought .
I might take 1 of each to my local PM schister and see what he'll give me for them , for the helluvit.

 

And those are the 90% of the people that are gonna die in a real honest to GOD SHTF situation. Any that manage to survive will NEVER hold any silver coin in their hands, because they will field hands, maybe even slaves, willing to work from can-to-can't for food and a place to sleep!

 

I was thinking the other day that with inflation and the recent high market prices for gold and silver, that we might have to raise our expectations of what gold and silver might be worth post-SHTF. Used to be $5,000 gold and $50 silver, but we got that now! Today, I purchased some 90% silver dollars for $42 each and some I oz. .999 rounds for $52 each. About 21 oz, I might have over paid, but I'm not planning of selling it for the next 20 years or so.

 

You know, The last couple of estate sales we did there was a good amount of silver collections we sold off for the family.
They chose paper over coin?

 

I'm really hoping that my family is smarter than that, but maybe not. There are lots of people out there that look at a silver dime and only see a dime.

 

Both my kids are into collecting silver. Both have or are working retail type jobs and have found silver in the change they've been given and are smart enough to swap it out.
If you go into a store with one of those 'coinstar' machines always give it glance. I've pulled 5 silver quarters our of the "change" area, where coins go that get rejected. My kids laughed at me the first time I doubled back and grabbed the coins that were left there, walking out to the car I said "I got a dollar thirty five in change, PLUS 2 silver quarters!"

I do miss working retail some times, I got most of my silver that way.

 

Alas, the days of finding silver coins in the cash register drawer are over. You might see a few coins a year, but unless someone cashes in grandpa's horde of silver coins, you aren't going to find more than a buck FV. The last coin that I remember getting was about 10-12 years ago, a kid came in the store and asked if I took dollar coins, I told him yes and he dropped a Peace Silver Dollar on the counter. I gave him a dollar bill, and I still have that coin. Usually, I order junk silver coins from APMEX, but recently I purchased some silver coins and rounds (about 21 oz.) from a woman that I work with. Like a lot of people, she had them for years and had no idea what they were worth. She was kinda surprised.

 

Yeah, 18 years ago when I worked at gun range I would get some silver a couple times a month. Really depended on if I was working with the owners dad or not. He was always on the register and would get "first dibs" on any silver that came in.
Still remember one time a young kid (well, 20 something kid anyway) and paid for some targets with quarters, everyone was silver. I asked where he got that much silver and he was like "it's just quarters". I asked if he had more and gave him paper money for all the quarters he had, almost a full roll.
Part of me thinks it was stolen, but whatever, he didn't know what he had and wouldn't listen to me explain.

 

Yeah, try telling most people that "this" coin is silver and valuable, and "that" coin is steel and junk. Most people will think that you are a crazy old man. Most people aren't gonna make it...good times or bad!