Friends, I'm looking to buy physical gold and silver, mostly silver, and wondering what your go to reliable vendors are to source it? Also, is silver just silver or are some things considered better, such as silver eagle coins?
I'm a noob and know that there are many others looking to get advice from you seasoned vets. Appreciate the help!
Silver Eagles demand higher premiums, some folks feel that is a good thing. They ARE pretty, but there are some art-bars around with women on it too. They are also more often faked, so watch out if Eagles are selling cheap-cheap.
Most people are pretty savvy re: physical market price. Don't shy away from online auctions. Just check out their feedback, before trusting. There are some dedicated silver merchants online.
There IS a neglible difference re: purity.
Canadian Maples and NZ Silver Ferns are .9999 silver. So, slightly purer than .999 that is normally considered pure silver. They are often cheaper than Eagles, so go figure.
Another fascinating rabbit-hole is junk silver. Look up the date on the coin and do your research. Mostly try to buy pre-WW2 junk. After that war, all governments in the world started debasing their currencies. Pretty soon ( a matter of a few years) they were stealing the silver from the people, because of the disgusting inflation. The metal was worth more that what was printed on it. Threepences are now worth about $2 each. So small stuff like that could be considered a form of barter when SHTF. Many auctions online sell them in ounce bags, for ease of calculation.
Awesome stuff man. Having small denominations does seem practical. The Canadian Maples and NZ Silver Ferns seem interesting with their slightly higher silver content. I will head this advice, thank you.