Giving a gift of gold

Quote from eddiehaskell : what about junk silver? i see half pounds of coins going for about $240...$30/oz. the 1 oz eagles seem to be about $38.

$30/oz is pretty much current spot price today. Except the coins are not 100% Silver. Most U.S. coins listed as containing Silver are 90% and some are 40%. American Silver Eagles are something like 99.9% Silver and usually cost a few dollars more than Silver Spot price (APMEX shows $34-$35 sans shipping). I would make sure the junk coins weight being listed is the Silver content and not the actual coin weight. Junk Silver is often the cheapest way to accumulate Silver for cheap though.

You can still find Silver coins in circulation. Pre-1965 Dimes, Quarters, and Half Dollars are 90% Silver. Kennedy Half Dollars 1965-1970 are 40%. 1942-1945 War Nickels are something like 35% Silver. If you were to go coin roll hunting.

As far as gold, I have a few coins. My 1/10 oz Gold American Eagle coins are very small. They are about the size of a U.S. Dime. They still hover around $200 a piece. So getting $500 worth of gold may not look like much to a person.

Check out Amark silver rounds. 99.9% silver and just a little above spot.

i found the 2013 silver eagles for ~$2.80 over spot with free shipping at provident metals....good price?

Quote from eddiehaskell : i found the 2013 silver eagles for ~$2.80 over spot with free shipping at provident metals....good price?

That is about the best you will find. Jump on it if you want silver.

Silver Has gone up more than gold % wise. I would buy a good collection of silver. The person will get alot more beautiful coins. Maybe try and get every year silver eagle? you can expect to pay 33-42 for regular's. Maybe throw in a proof coin. Estimates this year say silver can rise 29% It would be a great investment. And could jumpstart someone into starting a collection.

Silver instead of gold. Skip the proof coins.

I usually find the best prices at:

http://comparesilverprices.com/

Independent Living Bullion has a nice deal with free shipping and free 1/2 ounce sometimes. If you spend $500 or more at Scottsdale Silver you also get free shipping.

or if you're set on gold

http://comparegoldprices.com/

If you want to understand why silver and not gold check these out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IiarVvZguY
http://www.youtube.com/user/whygoldandsilver
http://www.youtube.com/user/brotherjohnf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf...A8&index=1

Quote from maxblockm : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IiarVvZguY http://www.youtube.com/user/whygoldandsilver http://www.youtube.com/user/brotherjohnf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf...A8&index=1

For the sake of your sanity and your rational mind, only watch any of that with a hardcore filter knowing all those guys bank on 1) missinformation 2) fear 3) confirmation bias. Trust me, I know each and every one of their's shtick. BroJF, in particular, is a fraud, liar and his track record is terrible. Chris Duane means well and I think his cause is valid, but he holds nonsense too close to his heart. At least Mike Maloney is a student of history, but he makes a living pumping books and coins.

And, no, not silver instead of gold. It boils down to personal finanacial goals, not some hack with a YT channel and their sheep-herding agenda.

Any yes proof coins. If you bought silver Eagles last year when there was blood on the floor at $1.50 over spot and sold them back at today's premiums, you could have made $1-2 per coin despite no change in spot. On 100 oz, that's 5-10 free ounces on the spread. Same goes for Maple's and Phiharmonics, etc.

Quote from petergriffen : I'm looking to give someone who likes a lot a gift. Going to be $500 worth. I know gold is pretty high right now but that doesn't matter. Should I just get some coins? I want to actually physically give him the gold as a gift so no paper or stocks. Thanks any suggestions

Quote from barnz008 : For the sake of your sanity and your rational mind, only watch any of that with a hardcore filter knowing all those guys bank on 1) missinformation 2) fear 3) confirmation bias. Trust me, I know each and every one of their's shtick. BroJF, in particular, is a fraud, liar and his track record is terrible. Chris Duane means well and I think his cause is valid, but he holds nonsense too close to his heart. At least Mike Maloney is a student of history, but he makes a living pumping books and coins. And, no, not silver instead of gold. It boils down to personal finanacial goals, not some hack with a YT channel and their sheep-herding agenda. Any yes proof coins. If you bought silver Eagles last year when there was blood on the floor at $1.50 over spot and sold them back at today's premiums, you could have made $1-2 per coin despite no change in spot. On 100 oz, that's 5-10 free ounces on the spread. Same goes for Maple's and Phiharmonics, etc.

I agree that you need a filter, and it does boil down to your personal goals and strategies. You also need to DYODD (do your own due diligence).

John, Chris, and Mike may have shortcomings, just as you, I, and everyone else does, but I think you are completely wrong about them banking on misinformation, fear, confirmation bias, and being frauds, liars, nonsensical book-talkers with terrible track records and sheep-herding agendas.

You say "yes proof coins" but don't support it with anything, then immediately go to a flawed argument for bullion.

Yes, proofs/numismatics can appreciate 100-200% instead of $1-2, but not all will, some will even decrease in value, and those that will go up might take years, and once they have they appreciated those too can go back down as well, so since this appears to be a person that has no prior experience with precious metals, keeping it simple is best for now, and so bullion instead of proofs IMO. If you are buying 100 Eagles and then selling for $1-2 gain per coin that sounds like bullion to me, not proofs.

Your statement is flawed in that it wouldn't be 5-10 ounces free on the spread as you claim....You stop with making $1-2 per coin on the sale, and it might be dollars that you get back on the selling spread, but to end up with "5-10 free ounces" as you say, instead of more dollars, it wouldn't work. If you sell at the bid price you'd have to buy back at the ask and then you would actually end up with less ounces. Say you started with $3075 and bought 100 bullion Eagles in the past, and today, you could get $32.75 each, total of $3275. You made $2 each! $200, that's great! Now to buy back your 100 ounces you have to pay the ask price of $33.75 each, total of $3375...but you only have $3275! You might have made $200, but you can only buy 97 ounces at today's price, not 105, or 110.

Petergriffen and other readers, I hope you can see from the extrapolation of barnz008's statement how well meaning people can give you flawed advice, and how important it is to have that filter and DYODD. And if my statements to you make sense, then perhaps the information would get from the sources I suggested would make sense as well.

Granted the silver market makes drastic moves on a regular basis, and you can always 'buy low and sell high' to end up with "free ounces," but that was not the basis of barnz008's statement, and, if it were that easy, wouldn't everyone just buy low and sell high and be getting "free ounces" all the time?

Not saying it can't be done, just saying it's probably not the best angle for someone that sounds like they're making their first purchase. You can also sell on the black or grey markets to get a higher price and buy back on the open market to get "free ounces," but can be hard to move large quantities reliably, and that also opens up cans of worms like the possibility of getting robbed or worse...again, not the best angle for a novice... If you want to safely and reliably move large quantities (buying or selling) it is best to do it with a legitimate dealer.

http://comparesilverprices.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IiarVvZguY
http://www.youtube.com/user/whygoldandsilver
http://www.youtube.com/user/brotherjohnf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf...A8&index=1

Quote from maxblockm : Yes, proofs/numismatics can appreciate 100-200% instead of $1-2, but not all will, some will even decrease in value, and those that will go up might take years, and once they have they appreciated those too can go back down as well, so since this appears to be a person that has no prior experience with precious metals, keeping it simple is best for now, and so bullion instead of proofs IMO. If you are buying 100 Eagles and then selling for $1-2 gain per coin that sounds like bullion to me, not proofs.

Whatever, people use the two terms interchangeably so it boils down to actual grading or speculation.

Quote : Your statement is flawed in that it wouldn't be 5-10 ounces free on the spread as you claim....You stop with making $1-2 per coin on the sale, and it might be dollars that you get back on the selling spread, but to end up with "5-10 free ounces" as you say, instead of more dollars, it wouldn't work. If you sell at the bid price you'd have to buy back at the ask and then you would actually end up with less ounces. Say you started with $3075 and bought 100 bullion Eagles in the past, and today, you could get $32.75 each, total of $3275. You made $2 each! $200, that's great! Now to buy back your 100 ounces you have to pay the ask price of $33.75 each, total of $3375...but you only have $3275! You might have made $200, but you can only buy 97 ounces at today's price, not 105, or 110.

Not flawed, you didn't read it correctly. Buy at $1.50 over, sell at $2.50 over. All else equal, you're pocketing $1 per coin. Could be some spread play, but it's a premium/demand play. I guess I didn't make that crystal clear. Keep in mind you could widen this even more if you're keen on where and when you buy - like Bucks on eBay, online promos, free ship, coupons, coin shop, etc.

Quote : Petergriffen and other readers, I hope you can see from the extrapolation of barnz008's statement how well meaning people can give you flawed advice

You mean like your trusted sources of "understanding?" When did I say they were completely wrong? I said they banked on their missinformation...as in, they make money selling fluff. Mike Maloney will tell you all day "price is nothing, value is everything" but at the same time will buy and sell you coins and has no problem arbing the flow. If price is nothing, give Mike a call yourself and tell him you want $75 each for your ASE's and then throw his BS right back at him if he balks. Class A salesman ship bullshit. If you're cool with that, then hey, support his business if you want.

Go ahead, listen to so BroJF vids and then go get yourself some silver. You're right, it's your own DD at the end of the day. But the guy is a hack silver pumper who makes money (adsense, bitcoin) of his channels and videos and is not truthful about it. He even has the nerve to ask for donations for his "research." He's the king silverbug idiot. Literally an idiot; someone who knows not what they speak - just makes it up. Also a proven liar and a fraud.

Quote : wouldn't everyone just buy low and sell high and be getting "free ounces" all the time?

I'd say that's pretty much reserved for those that DON'T listen to all the nonsense and be patient and play what the market gives them. Is it guaranteed? Guess you'll have to take your chances.

Quote from maxblockm : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IiarVvZguY

Ugg. Nonsense. Mind pollution. Even says "liar" in the url tag. You just can't make this stuff up.

From Dec, 2010. Spot price: $31

Price today. $31

Wonderful.