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Palm Beach’s “Better Than Bullion: How to Make 550% From the ‘Paper’ Silver Crisis.”

Looking into the silver tease from Tim Mittelstaedt for the Palm Beach Letter about "How 'Proclamation 2039' Could Make You Rich…"

By Travis Johnson, Stock Gumshoe, November 7, 2013

“Shocking Investigation Reveals:

“How a tiny handful of institutions (including a branch of the Chinese government) are creating the greatest resource opportunity in over 34 years…

“Why thousands of unprepared investors could lose everything…

“Three specific ways to make serious gains as the price of this substance jumps 550% over the next year.”

That’s how today’s ad from the Palm Beach Letter folks caught my attention.

They’re talking about the mysterious “Substance 47” … which, as they do eventually go on to reveal, is silver, which has the atomic number 47. As you would know if you had memorized the periodic table like a good student — always handy for a stock sleuth, the publishers love to use these “secret” numbers in their pitches, whether it’s the “fourth element” pitch from Byron King for Beryllium or the “third element” lithium stories touted by the Money Map folks.

And to warn you up front, even the fully believable stories about the ridiculousness of the “paper” silver market manipulation, the Chinese demand, and the critical nature of silver as an industrial element don’t mean that silver is going to double this year. Silver’s price has pretty clearly been manipulated in the past at least, and is probably being manipulated now, but that doesn’t mean that any advisor can predict the moment when that manipulation stops … or, despite the attractiveness and logic of the story, the direction the metal might move if and when a “free market” in real, physical silver emerges to crush the highly levered “paper market.”

I say that not to tell you that silver will go down (or up), or to say that this pitch is wrong … just to share with you that we’ve seen essentially the same pitch for several years now from different newsletters. Tom Dyson runs Common Sense Publishing, which is putting this tease out, and his old colleague from when he worked at Stansberry a few years back, Matt Badiali, had much the same argument as he pitched the inevitable climb of “element 107” two years ago (107 is the atomic weight of silver, 47 is the atomic number) … and silver is down about 25% from when that pitch was made. So even if the argument that silver must eventually climb is right, and it may well be, I have a hard time believing that anyone can very accurately predict when.

But I’ve done my “but wait” bit before even really telling you the sexy part — my apologies. What is the pitch?

“… you may be wondering why you’d want to buy anything related to silver. Especially if, like many investors, you’re worried about the price collapse earlier this year.

“Well, it all fits neatly into China’s plan. The fear that so many investors are feeling right now is what creates this opportunity. It’s why China—and you—can grab silver at dirt-cheap prices…

“Before prices launch 4… 5… even 6 times higher.

“The Chinese have patiently waited for this opportunity for decades. They know that silver is the ultimate protection against financial crisis. In the 1930s, silver helped China avoid the worst effects of the Great Depression. Even the Communists couldn’t erase this deep-seated respect for the metal… despite their best efforts to ban private ownership.

“Now, 80 years later, the Chinese once again must rely on silver to avoid economic collapse.

“Xia Bin, an advisor to the People’s Bank of China, spilled details to the Economic Information Daily. China has publicly announced that its Central Bank is adding silver to its ‘official’ reserves….

“China is the catalyst that will tear open one corner of the silver market… possibly triggering a failure on one of the world’s largest futures exchanges.”

And yes, that “corner of the silver market” is the futures market — specifically, the COMEX silver futures market. The basic story is probably one you’ve heard before, and it’s true, that the futures market trades far, far, far more “paper” silver than is actually available for delivery — the assumption being, as usual, that those who are hedging and those who are speculating will effectively cancel each other out and roll futures contracts forward to future dates rather than accept (or demand) delivery of the actual metal. As with fractional reserve banking like we have in the US, the futures exchange holds only a portion of the physical silver that’s being traded on the exchange at any given time.

Which means that there could be the futures market equivalent of a “run on the bank” — with more contract holders demanding physical silver than there is physical silver in the COMEX vaults, and therefore, the theory goes, the price of silver will shoot up and the people who actually need silver drive prices up to lock up their supplies.

[The “Proclamation 2039” bit, by the way, is about how the restrictions set by FDR on physical silver trading to prevent hoarding, long since overturned, sent the physical markets to Europe and led to the “paper market” or futures market being the dominant way that Americans buy, sell and trade “silver.” Not sure how it worked in practice, since all US coins except nickels and pennies were 90% silver back then (or gold, of course, though the gold ones didn’t circulate much even before they were confiscated that same year to rejigger the gold standard). You can see the text of the proclamation here if you’re curious, the gold part of it was overturned in 1973 and the silver part of it was not particularly significant to the markets in the following years but was formally overturned in the early 1980s. I don’t know whether that proclamation and the underlying uncertainty about ownership led to the “paper” futures market being dominant or not, but I suppose it makes some logical sense.]

The silver market has been manipulated before, but that was a bit different — that was the Hunt Brothers trying to “corner the market” on the shiny stuff in the late 1970s (culminating in a silver crash in 1980 after Fed Chairman Volcker “whipped inflation” and the COMEX changed its trading rules), even going so far as to build a mine as they where trying to “own” the futures market for silver (that was what is now the Prairie Creek mine, a nice cautionary tale when you consider mining stocks — it was discovered in 1928 and still hasn’t become a real producing mine, partly because of the litigation and price crash caused by the Hunt Brothers). The Hunt brothers started this whole silver mania in the 1970s simply because they were trying to protect their wealth with hard assets in the face of a rapidly inflating dollar, by the way … and it was nothing magical about silver per se, they largely chose silver because it was illegal, in the early days when they started this accumulation, to own gold (that changed in 1975).

But the same thing did end up happening back in 1980, essentially — more and more physical silver was demanded, and the futures market was overwhelmed with demand. The price of silver did shoot up when that happened, but it also collapsed when COMEX changed the leverage rules and controlled the frenzied trading over those few days when the price spiked and collapsed, and I think the Hunt Brothers ended up declaring bankruptcy in 1988 after years of litigation (including with some silver miners), eventually seeing their fortune go from roughly $5 billion to $1 billion in less than a decade. Another cautionary tale that even really, really wealthy people can lose very badly when they get a big idea wrong, or when the trading rules are changed and they’re highly levered — don’t assume that you’re smart enough to be certain about what the market will do, or at least don’t assume so much that you’re willing to use margin to act on that certainty.

I seem to have gotten off track again. Where were we?

Oh, right — silver is going up, says Tim Mittelstaedt, one of the Palm Beach Letter researchers. Which means you have a big opportunity to get rich.

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And it’s going to go up because the central bankers are fearing deflation and (globally) pushing for inflation that he says could turn into hyperinflation, and because the Chinese are working to have all that physical silver essentially moved to the East with physical purchases and the launch of their own exchanges … here’s how he puts it:

“See, today’s central bankers have spent most of their lives studying the deflations of the Great Depression and Japan in the 1990s. They are determined to keep prices from falling… even if it risks a nasty inflation (or even hyperinflation) down the road.

“So unquestionably, the stage is set for higher silver prices.

“And while the vast majority of Americans are oblivious to the danger, China is taking proactive measures to secure their silver stockpile. They’re launching new exchanges—and expanding old ones—to handle the demand.

“The Chinese Gold and Silver Society will begin trading in physical silver in Hong Kong.

“And Singapore (an ethnically Chinese city-state) just launched a physical precious metals exchange—with real silver trading hands—to capture growing Chinese demand. As I mentioned, demand for silver bars is up 37 times in just three years…

“Make no mistake: America’s silver will flow to the East.

“And if what I’m claiming is true…

“That we’re on the cusp of the biggest run on silver since the 1970s… one that will generate billions for prepared investors…”

But that’s enough of the “big picture” story on silver — if you think the “paper” silver market (like futures contracts, or like the futures-based iShares ETF SLV) is not trustworthy, what do you buy? Do you want to fill your house up with silver? It gets kind of heavy and becomes a security risk.

Here’s when they start teasing some specific ideas:

“Sure, you could just buy silver bullion and lock it away. In times of crisis, it’s prudent to have a few coins on hand.

“But that’s not the most profitable—or convenient—way to play this historic move…

“For one thing, silver bullion is bulky. You have to find a place to hide it. Storage fees and insurance could eat away at your bottom line as well…

“But what if I told you there was a way to buy a stake in real, tangible silver (and even gold) as easily as you buy a stock? Better yet, what if you could buy it at a discount… like buying $1.00 worth of solid silver for 95 cents? With no out-of-pocket storage fees or insurance premiums, either…

“That’s precisely what my research team and I have found. We’ve put all the details into a new research report. We’ve named it ‘Better Than Bullion: How to Make 550% From the ‘Paper’ Silver Crisis.'”

OK, so that sounds potentially interesting — discounted (most physical silver carries pretty hefty premiums these days, almost 10% over melt value even for “junk silver” coins), and not stored? So what is it?

More hints:

“… you’ll learn how to access this discounted silver for as little as $15. And how you can buy it from any regular brokerage account.

“Keep in mind, this is not some risky mining company… or even one of the Exchange Traded Funds that have become popular in recent years….

“We’ve found a better alternative. A way to buy a stake in real silver, untethered to the paper markets. It’s as easy as buying a stock or any ETF. But this unique trust holds silver in a secure, audited facility that’s outside the U.S. banking system. So U.S. residents can get built-in diversification, as easy as clicking a mouse….”

So what’s that?

Well, there are really two things it could be — the direct play on silver (and only silver) that’s promised to be held in a non-US vault and not managed by a bank is probably the Sprott Physical Silver Trust (PSLV), which trades like an exchange traded fund. But that’s not trading at a discount and isn’t anywhere near $15, so I suspect that they’re hinting at a couple things — maybe both the PSLV trust and another trust that trades on the exchange, the Central Fund of Canada (CEF).

The Sprott Physical Silver Trust currently trades at almost a 3% premium to net asset value, so you can’t say you’re getting that at a discount, but it does hold unencumbered, allocated silver in a Canadian non-bank vault and it’s run by Eric Sprott’s firm (Sprott has been evangelizing for silver for a while, and also talks about the unsustainable nature of the “paper” market). The shares were frantically traded early in their existence (early 2011) and for a brief while traded at a huge premium to asset value, but over the last year or so it has tracked the silver (COMEX silver) price very closely, usually at a premium similar to what it carries today.

There is also a promise of redemption of PSLV trust units for real silver, though that will come at a substantial cost for processing and is available only for those holding massive positions (10 London “good delivery” bars, so roughly 10,000 ounces or $200,000+ of PSLV shares). And of course, you might want to bring a friend to help you pick it up — that’s about 700 pounds of silver.

And the Central Fund of Canada (CEF) is something of an anachronism these days, a closed-end fund that’s a holdover from the years when there wasn’t really an easy, exchange-traded way to get precious metals exposure. And it does trade at just under $15 a share. And it is at a discount to asset value at the moment, currently that discount is about 4.5% (you can see each day’s NAV calculations here). Like PSLV, this is real silver and gold (it’s generally about 50/50 silver and gold, though I think it’s more like 55/45 gold weighted at the moment).

In recent years, the same folks who run the Central Fund of Canada also came up with specific trusts for both gold and silver, so if you don’t want to own both there’s also the Silver Bullion Trust (SBT in Canada, SVRZF on the US pink sheets) and the Central GoldTrust (GTU in both NY and Canada). Both are also trading at a discount to NAV, though the Silver Bullion Trust trades at a more dramatic discount of about 8.5% at the moment.

I haven’t ever owned any of those four (PSLV, CEF, SBT or GTU), but they are more direct (without futures contracts or derivatives, and without unallocated ownership of bullion) than the big precious metals ETFs like SLV and GLD. They are also a bit more expensive since they’re far smaller and have administrative and storage costs, differences that would be less significant if you really think the futures market will collapse because of huge physical demand and these physical holders end up in the catbird’s seat with no reliance on the future exchanges. I have no idea how that will all work out.

Do note, also, that all four of those are almost certain to be taxed for US investors as passive foreign investment corporations — that’s not necessarily the end of the world, but it requires decisionmaking and form filing and may impact the taxes you owe over time, I won’t try to explain it here (I’d make a fool of myself, and probably steer you wrong), but the Wikipedia explanation is here and the IRS’ instructions are here.

And he does also suggest a physical silver investment, the “hold in your hand” stuff that many investors want …

“And if you want to have real silver on hand—a good idea, as I said—we’ll show you a way to buy hold-in-your-hand silver that’s much more valuable than ordinary bullion. If the price of silver rises, this little-known play could rise 10-20 times higher than the actual metal.

“In fact, you could make a lot of money even if silver goes nowhere. In 1986, this investment fetched over $1,000 per ounce… even though ordinary silver was trading for just $6! All told, this play rose nearly 1,000% during the last bull market.

“I expect it to do even better this time. While the price of silver is up nearly five times over the past decade, this investment is still incredibly cheap. It’s trading at an 82% discount to its high.”

This is, almost certainly, the Morgan Silver Dollar — the most popular, by far, of the US silver dollars among investors and coin collectors. There are gajillions of them in collector circulation in any condition you might want (no, “gajillions” is not a technical collector term), and they are almost always recommended as a prime investment by Van Simmons of David Hall Rare Coins and PCGS (the coin grading service) — these are the same coins recommended by Matt Badiali for a Stansberry newsletter a couple years ago, and other folks from Stansberry and other publishers have interviewed Simmons and recommended these in the past as well.

And if you’re talking about being at a 82% discount to the high, you’re not talking about the regular old “junk” Morgan Dollars, the ones that circulated for decades and are so worn they’re almost unrecognizable — you’re talking about the graded and slabbed Morgan Dollars that trade for multiples of their silver value. Not unlike the oft-repeated recommendation from Steve Sjuggerud to buy the old St. Gaudens Double Eagle gold goins in MS-63 or 64 because it might again trade at a more dramatically huge premium to the gold content someday.

So I’ll guess that this is the Morgan Dollar in MS-63 or so, the higher the number the higher the cost and the better the quality — from big dealers these will cost probably about $55-60 each at MS-63, up to $75 or so at MS-64 and probably $200 at the much rarer MS-65. I’m no collectibles expert and I have no idea whether or not these coins will rise dramatically in value and again trade at a much higher premium to the silver price, as some of them have at times in the past. Each coin has a bit less than three quarters of an ounce of silver (the coinflation site gives the current melt value of about $16.75), so that’s the “hard asset” part — I don’t know where silver’s going, or if rises in the silver price will be accompanied by rising collector demand for these coins, but do keep in mind if you buy these kinds of collectibles that at least 2/3 of your investment is in the collectible value of the coin, not in the physical silver.

If you want something similar that has historically not been quite as popular among collectors (partly because of volume and age, partly because of physical attractiveness, I guess) and isn’t traded in the same volume, there’s also the Peace Dollar, celebrating the peace after WWI — that one in similar quality might trade for 10-15% less than the Morgan Dollars.

Sound enticing? Like the ring of any of these silver investments, or think that we’re now at a good point for silver investing? Let us know with a comment below.

P.S. Looking for the “The ‘Underground Wealth’ Account: How to Fund Your Own Worry-Free, 100% Tax-Free Retirement?”

That was another special report teased by this ad, but the “account” it’s actually talking about is still the same insurance policy that they’ve been teasing for a while now as the “770 Account” — a whole life insurance policy that pays dividends, with a paid-up-additions rider. It’s the same basic idea that’s pitched as “bank on yourself” or “infinite banking” by a number of authors, insurance agents, and financial hucksters (that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad, just that some over-the-top people like to promote it as their secret).

My impression as a non-expert is that it may well work out fine if you’re in OK financial shape and have good discipline (ie, you’re looking for a possibly safer investment with tax and estate planning advantages, not a “save your retirement” investment). It’s probably best thought of as a way to get better rates on your savings if you’re already doing well, a policy like this can be a tough commitment for small investors or savers who might need the money in the next decade … and it’s an industry historically fraught with high fees and hard-to-compare products so it’s hard to say it’s always bad or always good. Research carefully with an adviser you trust if you want to follow this path. I wrote about the first iteration of this, the “770 Account,” here if you want to see the long discussion or the other details.

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Jay Kay
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Jay Kay
November 7, 2013 3:12 pm

Personally, I like hoarding the Morgan Silver Dollars. They are beautiful to look at, and they seem to wear (as in not wear out) much better than the Peace Dollars.

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Thomas Klugh
Guest
Thomas Klugh
November 17, 2015 3:57 pm
Reply to  Jay Kay

Morgans and Peace dollars are nice, but they contain only 90% silver… American Silver Eagles have 99.999% silver… just sayin’.

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Alan Coburn
November 7, 2013 3:41 pm

I don’t see it ever going wrong until silver hits 50.00 again than unload your
culls/junk and wait for low 20.00 again. Really just what the writer is saying.

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Ventureshadow
Guest
Ventureshadow
November 7, 2013 4:44 pm

The total cost per ounce for silver miners is about where silver is trading now. If it falls only the few silver miners with lower costs can profitably continue, the others will either suspend operations temporarily or fold. Because of paper silver trading, this can continue for years, and the silver price can even fall lower. Maybe there doesn’t even have to be a final reckoning, maybe it can be put off indefinitely, like paying the national debt.

Collecting silver dollars with numismatic value (raising the price much above melt value) adds another layer of speculation. A good (and very smart) friend of mine who collects coins says that he nearly always loses money on coins he buys. He considers it a hobby that costs money, like most hobbies. He said dealers are deceptive, and when I bought some coins he showed me the deceptions when I sent him scans of the coins. Sometimes I was able to return coins, sometimes I didn’t get around to it. Managing a coin collection is another complexity I’d sooner avoid.

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tmeehan930
Irregular
tmeehan930
November 7, 2013 6:11 pm

Is it worth collecting the full set of uncirculated president dollars? Thanks!

Al Rutherford
Member
Al Rutherford
November 7, 2013 6:29 pm
Reply to  tmeehan930

Perhaps two thousand years from now when people are interested in the old U.S. Empire. But right now the Mint’s vaults are full of them and that’s why they are issuing none of the recent ones for circulation. Even those in the collector’s sets are in the millions. Try Jefferson nickles. The metal content is worth more than five cents and there are rumblings that the U.S. Mint will soon change the composition to less expensive alloys.

agau
Member
agau
November 7, 2013 7:39 pm
Reply to  tmeehan930

Are modern Presidential Dollars worth collecting? As a hobby, for presentation, for teaching, for something to do with the grandchildren — they’re absolutely worth it! But as far as investment value goes, Al nailed it — fuhgeddaboudit!

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Jake
Jake
November 7, 2013 9:07 pm

Travis, I am a Canadian and I certainly agree with you that the best thing that happened in Canada was getting rid of the penny. But to be honest, having a pocket of Loonies and Toonies (one and two dollar coins) can really weigh one down. Bur I am also ready to get rid of the nickel. After all, does anyone stoop over any more and pick up a nickel since it takes about 40 of them to purchase a cup of coffee?

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catfish77
Irregular
catfish77
November 8, 2013 12:21 am
Reply to  Jake

If I spot a coin on the ground, no matter that its only a penny, I bend over and pick it up. That habit has always been good luck for me.

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thebobsizoo
thebobsizoo
November 18, 2013 10:20 am
Reply to  Jake

Noel Kasper, you’re right. But not only is it good luck, by picking up pennies and nickels, you’re helping clean up litter, as well!

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ventureshadow
ventureshadow
November 7, 2013 9:28 pm

Once upon a time in the USA we had $1, $2, $5, and $10 coins. They were replaced with paper because of convenience. Also because the higher value coins contained gold. Can’t have real value for the currency, can we?

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Jonathan Dean
Jonathan Dean
December 11, 2013 9:36 pm
Reply to  ventureshadow

Leaning over to pick up a coin is also good for maintaining flexibility, which for some of us becomes more difficult with advancing age.

goldseal5050
goldseal5050
July 24, 2017 12:18 am

Coins instead of paper….not unless our money is backed by silver and gold again,or is silver or gold…besides, I cant see pulling my pants up all the time because of the weight of the coins!

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tomt
tomt
November 7, 2013 10:11 pm

The silver market does have all the signs of going lower this month.
The short position by the big commercials is much greater in silver than gold, and so are the COMEX inventories, so the move down would seem to be greater for silver. Covering short positions will likely push the price right back up. Any scenario is possible, it really a matter of what is probable. Buyers will surface everywhere when the price drops, and the short
players won’t forget the buying frenzy after last April 16th, and June.
I do think the metals are moving from weak hands to strong hands, and the intel I’ve read indicates a physical supply shortage in both metals is probable in the near future.
Travis’s recommendations are all good, but you do end up with more dollars and no metal.

You can buy a smaller amounts of metal from SprottMoney and store it in your name in Canada. They will also ship it to you, or buy it back. There are others offering similar arrangements.
“get it while you can” Janis Joplin.

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Bob
Guest
Bob
November 7, 2013 11:34 pm

Does anybody know what an 1895 O Morgan Silver Dollar is worth, Good condition, can make out the wings on the Eagle?

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barndoor
Member
barndoor
November 8, 2013 1:07 am
Reply to  Bob

In crummy (i.e. ‘Good’) condition $200. If you can ‘make out the wings on the Eagle’ meaning most of the detail I guess F ( Fine) to VF (Very Fine) $250 to $ 350.
If it were AU to MS then $4000 to $10000 but I doubt it…. The finest known sold for $216,000.

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Bob
Member
Bob
November 8, 2013 12:16 am

Morgan and Peace Dollars are only 90% silver. Newer American Silver Eagle Dollar is 100% pure silver.

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barndoor
Member
barndoor
November 8, 2013 12:46 am

I’ve mentioned this in Gumshoe before….but it’s hard to find a long-lasting place to place a comment like this.
My personal metals preference in hard assets is 100+ year old US coins that are almost Mint State (usually lowish Mint State or really AU and definitely NOT agency certified) where the purchase price is on the order of 80% intrinsic metal value and 20% numismatic value. They should also be big flashy coins. $20 gold Eagles (common dates through 1907) and Saints are the only coins that currently meet this criteria. The gold value of an antique $20 is currently about $1275 so pay $1600 or less . Other coins that meet the criteria (except price) are $10 Eagles and $10 Indians and $0.50 Walking Liberty.

Morgan Dollars have been hot for so long that they are now well out of the range from where I bought every one I could find. Today they are $17 silver value and I buy all the REALLY REALLY mint state (MS63ish) ones I can find at $40 to $45. So that’s 1/3 silver value and 2/3 numismatic value. Speculating on numismatics is, er, speculative. Armageddon would destroy numismatic value.

PS: I last bought major quantities of gold at about $400 to $600 and silver at $4 to $6 but am buying now. I paid my entire MIT tuition by trading silver in the Bunky Hunt days of the late 70’s

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RON
Guest
March 15, 2015 5:47 pm
Reply to  barndoor

I don’t own any silver nor gold with the exception of some jewelry left to me.
I would like to purchase some silver for ITSHTF.

CAN YOU ADVISE WHERE I CAN PURCHASE SILVER COINS AT A GOOD VALUE AS YOU SPEAK OF IN YOU PS: COMMENTS? I LIKE US EAGLES AS I CONTINUE TO BE PATRIOTIC AND I BELIEVE GOOD WILL PREVAIL OVER THE EVILNESS BEFORE US.

THANK YOU
RON NEW JERSEY

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hedy1234
hedy1234
March 15, 2015 6:26 pm
Reply to  RON

Two with good reputations are Van Simmons and David Hall rare coins. Just google those names and you will find their websites. Note that silver eagle coins, will sell at a minimum of about 15% over the price of the metal. Gold coins can be had for a premium of 10% and less if the coins are ungraded.
If you are merely looking to own some silver metal coins, look at so called “junk silver”. OIder, circulated coins will give you the best bang for the buck.

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jaxjrcom
Member
jaxjrcom
November 8, 2013 8:09 am

I’ve been a collector of silver coins for decades. One observation is the cost of Morgan’s when Silver was under $6.00. Circulated Morgan’s from a reputable dealer cost $29. In some cases, although rare, an uncirculated coin was sent. Those same coins in today’s market are $49, but good luck getting one uncirculated. This same company offers to buy specific coins back at a premium. I agree with others about the beauty of the Morgan and Peace dollars. I’m collecting to hold and admire and pass down to my grandchildren. If current trends continue I can see these dollars going up in price. Between the Pitman Act, and the melting frenzy in the 80’s and 2011 a large number of these dollars ceased to exist. Collecting picked up 100 fold when the state quarter program started several years ago, driving prices up and supply down. The Carson City Cartwheels are the rarest of the rare, with some dates in pristine condition selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. I believe the 1893 or similar date minted less than 100K. If half were melted than only 50k or less may still exist. Even a completely worn Morgan with this date sells for thousands of dollars. I personally think the grade and premium they bring will pay off in years to come. I’m now focusing my collection on graded coins, instead of the circulated ones. To date no Morgan has graded out at a MS70, the highest numismatic grade on the scale and if one ever did it would price in the hundreds of thousands, possibly a million if it had a CC mint mark. This is my first post to GS but you hit a topic I’m a little familiar with and wanted to share.

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sunnysal
Member
sunnysal
December 1, 2013 8:14 pm
Reply to  jaxjrcom

Carson City dollars are not rare. They have been touted as rare, but with the exception of the 1879 and 1893, they are not hard to find. In the sixties Millions were found in the basement of a GSA building. Most CC’s are uncirculated, and are found in the dates 1878, ’80, ’81, 82′, 83, ’84, ’85. They were also made in 1890, 91, and 92, though these dates are hard to find as most got melted, and the rest are circulated. The rarest of the business strikes is the 1893S. It has a mintage of exactly 100,000. Dates from 1892, to 1895 are all hard to find. There was a financial crash during that period worse than the great depression. Putting a collection of coins is fun, if you enjoy history, and the coins themselves. Very rare coins, particularly in uncirculated grades, go up and down in value, depending on the economy and are therefore, much like any other “investment”.
I have been in the business for 35 years, and would NOT recommend coins as an investment. Yes, you hear about those who made millions in coins. They bought the rarest and highest grade of coins fifty years ago, and, now, they are worth a much greater amount. However, trying to do this now is a crap shoot. Want to buy them and hold them for fifty years? Might make a lot money might not. But to buy that level of coin costs a small or large fortune, and there is not guarantee they will go up in value. Bullion is much the same. It doesn’t pay dividends, and nobody can truly tell whether the price will go up or down. When you hear costs for getting them out of the ground, it is always an average. For example, an ounce of gold, ON AVERAGE, costs about 1100 dollars to get it out the ground. However, new deposits are found every day, and most of the big companies pay 5 to 7 hundred to get it out of the ground. Silver is found all of the time, in huge deposits. There is more silver to be found than can be imagined. It is also a by product of most other metals mining. Will the price of these metals go up? I don’t know. Having some around is not a bad idea, like 3 to 5 percent of your investments/savings. Putting a great deal of money in a coin collection is fine, if you are doing it as a hobby. In short, all of these things are like any other investment. They go up, they go down.

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sunnysal
Member
sunnysal
December 1, 2013 8:16 pm
Reply to  sunnysal

Oh, also forgot the 1889CC, which is another rare date. It is a flatly struck coin, as are the ’93, and a few others.

James Wirth
James Wirth
November 8, 2013 8:52 am

I picked up a few Sacagawea, year 2000, coins that were presented to the sculptor. 5 of the coins are graded ms68, and are all “TYPE 1” in their original packaging. Does anyone know what they are worth?

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PRiley
Member
November 8, 2013 11:13 am
Reply to  James Wirth

Bought some myself. They are worth face value. Spend them unless you want to keep them for the novelty.

AlB
Member
November 8, 2013 2:46 pm
Reply to  PRiley

I find it amusing that all the comments were about coin investing since I wanted
to hear what investors felt about the Palm Beach Letter. I left them many months
ago when Mark Ford started giving advice on what booze to buy.

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wirth
wirth
December 16, 2013 8:08 am
Reply to  PRiley

I do know they are worth more than $1. If not why was I offered $500.00 per coin by several auction outfits?

Martial Artist
Member
November 8, 2013 5:16 pm

Travis, We are getting rid of the penny (very slowly via inflation, through the mechanisms of “quantitative easing” and “bail outs.”) The nickel costs more to mint than the market value of the metal used to make it. Give the career elected representatives a few more years and we’ll have so much money we’ll need a wheelbarrow to take the cash to the store to pay for a loaf of bread. 🙂

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Michael Murphy
Guest
November 8, 2013 7:05 pm

Don’t forget that the tax on profits from a fund that holds physical metal is 28%, not the 15% long-term capital gains tax.

Bee
Member
Bee
November 10, 2013 1:43 am

Bob: your 1895 – O (for New Orleans mint) is valued at anywhere from $400 to $175,000 (MS65), according to the 66th edition of the “Red Book of U. S. Coins” published by Yeoman. They list an MS 69 (Museum quality) as auctioned in November of 2005 for $575,000. Yeoman’s puts the mintage of that coin at only 450,000 as opposed to the 1896-O’s mintage at 4,900,000. If it is not graded and slabbed I suggest you do so. Any reputable coin dealer can tell you how to get this done..

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hedy1234
hedy1234
November 11, 2013 3:20 pm
Reply to  Bee

Red book value is not real world value when you sell.
Real world value can be found on Ebay where there are over 500 1895-Os for sale……………..
Grading is a must if you feel it has real value……..

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sunnysal
Member
sunnysal
December 1, 2013 8:38 pm
Reply to  Bee

Be carefull of values in the “red book”. Just about every collector (myself included), started with a red book. They are printed for every and the values tend to be quite inflated. As stated above, condition is everything. You mentioned, the 1896O. Though the mintage is high, they are rare in high grade uncirculated condition. They were released into circulation for a brief time. You see many “two beer” dollars, in other words, a coin that has just enough friction on the high points as though slid across a surface a couple of times. Beware of these. Unscrupulous, or unknowing dealers will try to sell these as uncirculated for high prices. The best example is the 1884S. Now, since I don’t have all the mintages in front of me, I can’t tell you that, but it is very rare in uncirculated condition. For instance, I believe the value in ALMOST or “two beer” condition is about 1000 dollars. (A close guess) A coin that is truly uncirculated, in Mint State sixty, the lowest grade of an uncirculated coin which might be ugly for a number of reasons, is ten times that number, and in higher conditions is very high indeed. There are hundreds of millions of uncirculated silver dollars. People did not like them because they were heavy, and, in probably would not have existed in their size, except for the fact that the silver mine owners bought themselves a couple of politicians and got a law passed, I believe the Bland/Allison act that required a minimum amount of domestic silver be minted. The dollar was the only way with the technology of the time. Mintage was halted after 1904, and then, I believe the Pittman act required it again, and mintage was started in 1921. The Morgan dollar of that year is the most common there is. Huge numbers were made, as well as some peace dollars, which are scarce, partly due to the fact that the government tried to strike them in high relief. It did not work. They were flat In detail, and, more of a problem, would not stack. A result of this huge mintage created a scarcity of other silver coins in that year. Peace dollars from 1922,,23,24,25 are very common. A couple in 1926 have more value in high grade. 1927 is another year with value, again mostly in high grades. In 1928, fewer were made, and the Philadlphia mint coin is a scarce coin. Mintage stopped then until 1934. the 1934 S is a tough coin. After 1935, the silver dollar for circulation was done. I have not covered all the dates in the Morgan series. Not enough space. There were silver dollars before the Morgan dollar, but were not made in any large numbers and all carry a significant premium and are very difficult to find uncirculated.

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MadSat
Guest
MadSat
December 9, 2013 1:10 am

Buying silver was a great idea for about six years, between 1998 and 2004, which I did. Anyone getting in later is just asking for losses. Me, I’m happy.

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baygreen
December 15, 2013 4:00 pm

A lot of people will bend down to pick up a penny , I am one of them , it is not the physical value of the coin it is that you can still see and still bend over. So seeing and bending is good , but if you ask some to pick it up for you and they laugh maybe they have always got there check at the first of the month so they better pray the mail man or woman does not mess up there mail, How many stamps have they thrown away and went to cash there check and pay a price % for that because they don’t have a direct deposit checking account. Pick up the penny it could be a dirty dime.

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