Needing Info on buying silver

[Kevin L]

I don’t even smoke the stuff but if shtf I would find some seeds and grow it for pain and nausea relief and barter in a heartbeat.

You can also use it (easily) for clothing, paper, sewing thread, and animal feed (via the seeds).

Also, hemp cordage can be used for excellent dental floss.

The plant is so useful that it was a mandatory crop during the revolutionary and civil wars. A farmer could be fined heavily for not growing it, and it was Thomas Jefferson's major crop.

Our constitution and decleration of independance were drawn up on hemp paper.

There is no excuse for it being illegal, especially since there are varieties that won't get you high even if you smoke a pound of it.

It can also be used to make soap.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Many "experts" recommend having 20% of your investment holdings in precious metals. Usually these experts also have precious metals to sale to you. I absolutely believe in owning a very diverse portfolio, which would include precious metals, among other things. At what percentage? That is up to each person and their individual investment strategy, risk tolerance and income. Gold and silver has always had great value and always will.
Gold and silver should only be part of a preppers holdings, as many other items would be of great value post shtf too.

 

[Brent S]

You can also use it (easily) for clothing, paper, sewing thread, and animal feed (via the seeds).

Also, hemp cordage can be used for excellent dental floss.

The plant is so useful that it was a mandatory crop during the revolutionary and civil wars. A farmer could be fined heavily for not growing it, and it was Thomas Jefferson's major crop.

Our constitution and decleration of independance were drawn up on hemp paper.

There is no excuse for it being illegal, especially since there are varieties that won't get you high even if you smoke a pound of it.

It can also be used to make soap.

Interesting, I had never heard of the Jefferson growing weed thing before. Somehow in American history they skipped that part in my home town..... I even kind of chuckled that most of the articles I glimpsed over made excuses like, ‘it was mostly his slaves that grew it’, or that he only used it for industrial purposes.

 

[Brent S]

Many "experts" recommend having 20% of your investment holdings in precious metals. Usually these experts also have precious metals to sale to you. I absolutely believe in owning a very diverse portfolio, which would include precious metals, among other things. At what percentage? That is up to each person and their individual investment strategy, risk tolerance and income. Gold and silver has always had great value and always will.
Gold and silver should only be part of a preppers holdings, as many other items would be of great value post shtf too.

I did just learn a valuable lesson. I have been aware of ebay of course, but didn’t really use it much and favoring amazon mostly. Anyways, as I mentioned earlier I recently started collecting coins again. Ebay is a great resource to find a huge selection and compare values, putting to shame going to a local coin dealor. (I’m not knocking small businesses here, just pointing out that no one shop could ever have the kind of inventory to choose from compared to ebay). So, back to my lesson learned from ebay. The whole format of bidding auction like is kind of exciting or addicting in a way. Well, I saw a coin that I have always wanted but never could really afford. Long story short, I bid a on a coin, well under its value, thinking there’s no way this guy would accept the offer. Amazingly, the guy accepted. So the warning here is be careful and don’t get too excited when ‘dreaming’ over an item that peaks your interest. The upside is I just bought a slabbed, graded coin that is well under its actual value. I want it as an investment, but at the very least could make a profit tomorrow. The downside is I had to scramble to scrape the cash together to actually pay for this thing, and of course not tell my wife what I just did or face her wrath.....

 

[Gazrok]

I think it's a better idea to grow tobbacco and learn how to process it. It's fairly easy to make chewing tobbacco, and I believe that smokers may switch to it if cigs are absent.

Oh, I plan to do that as well. (and grow weed, poppies, etc. post SHTF). Medicinal herbs are going to be a necessity...

However, if I have enough warning of an event ahead of time, I've got no issue stocking up on cigs. I don't smoke myself, but they are easily divisible, highly sought, and would be an ideal barter medium I'm betting, in a post SHTF setting.

 

[DrHenley]

The hardcore coin collectors call the slabs "coffins." There are numerous reasons why they dislike sealed slabs.

You can find threads on CoinTalk about how best to "rescue" a coin from a slab without damaging it.

I have to say, even though I'm not a hardcore collector, I can understand the sentiment. I mainly bought slabbed coins just for the supposed "protection" of being professionally sealed in an air tight container, only to discover that it wasn't so air tight after all, and some of them are starting to tarnish. In a slab, they don't "tone" evenly. Of course a 24K gold coin doesn't tone, so it doesn't matter what you keep it in as long as you don't scratch it. But 22K gold coins (circulated gold coins) can tone somewhat over time.

I really prefer coins that I can hold. Something like a Vicky Crown or Sovereign that was circulated (Queen Victoria "Jubilee Head") You can often find these on EBay close to melt prices, and every once in a while you'll find one below melt. The sovereigns were and still are minted as bullion coins in large numbers. If you will recall, in one of the 007 movies, Bond had a briefcase with sovereigns hidden in the lining.

At one time I was collecting pieces of eight. All of them are well circulated, so they are safe to handle as long as you wipe them down afterwards.

I think my favorite bullion coin is the Isle of Man Angel. I have a 1/10 oz and a 1/4 oz. I seem to have a hard time finding them.
They can be bought at close to melt...if you can find them
This one I don't handle.

 

[Brent S]

The hardcore coin collectors call the slabs "coffins." There are numerous reasons why they dislike sealed slabs.

You can find threads on CoinTalk about how best to "rescue" a coin from a slab without damaging it.

I have to say, even though I'm not a hardcore collector, I can understand the sentiment. I mainly bought slabbed coins just for the supposed "protection" of being professionally sealed in an air tight container, only to discover that it wasn't so air tight after all, and some of them are starting to tarnish. In a slab, they don't "tone" evenly. Of course a 24K gold coin doesn't tone, so it doesn't matter what you keep it in as long as you don't scratch it. But 22K gold coins (circulated gold coins) can tone somewhat over time.

I really prefer coins that I can hold. Something like a Vicky Crown or Sovereign that was circulated (Queen Victoria "Jubilee Head") You can often find these on EBay close to melt prices, and every once in a while you'll find one below melt. The sovereigns were and still are minted as bullion coins in large numbers. If you will recall, in one of the 007 movies, Bond had a briefcase with sovereigns hidden in the lining.

[/IMG]

At one time I was collecting pieces of eight. All of them are well circulated, so they are safe to handle as long as you wipe them down afterwards.

I think my favorite bullion coin is the Isle of Man Angel. I have a 1/10 oz and a 1/4 oz. I seem to have a hard time finding them.
They can be bought at close to melt...if you can find them

Honestly, I like ‘raw’ coins that you can hold too, ( I only touch the outer rim). The main reason for the slab is to have a pedigree per say, or a guarantee that the coin hasn’t been damaged, repaired or altered. If PCGS graded a coin, no dealor or collector will ever question its grade or authenticity. Grading is very subjective sometimes too, and on rare coins one grade to the next can be a substantial price increase. I bought a raw bust dollar years ago. Luckily the dealor was a decent guy and told me it had been plugged and repaired from where someone had drilled a hole in it for a necklace. The repair was so good that even with a magnifying glass I could not see it. The price drop from it was substantial. Most expensive coins today that aren’t slabbed are because they have some alteration, and condition is key in values. All I can say is buyer beware. I am sure there are some out there that have counterfitted slabs though. With something like a 1794 flowing hair dollar in high grades being worth millions, there are going to be those that try to change the grade a point or two. Nothing is foolproof, but slabs cut out a lot of fraud.

 

[Brent S]

Doc there are loads of both silver and gold Isle of Man coins on ebay. Both in buy it now and bid on status. It is a beautiful coin.
I think gold will always be valuable trade commodity regardless of a national currency’s shape.
As far as coins though, just from an investment stance, US coins have always been the better investment with value and appreciation. Of course there are specific exceptions here and there from other countries, but the US ones have done better traditionally.

 

[DrHenley]

I dabbled in numismatic coins for a while, but found out I really sucked at it. So most of my coins were bought for the precious metal content, or, well, because I liked them for some reason or other. Like the Vickies (I have a complete set of 1890 Vickies, including the maundy coins) I have done things that would get me lynched by hardcore coin collectors. Who cares? It's MY coin, dammit!

 

[lonewolf]

I don't see what silver has to do with prepping.

 

[DrHenley]

One thing I found really cool was that there were so many silver Roman coins minted, you can find them really cheap sometimes, and in reasonably good condition. I bought a Hadrian denarius (117-138 AD) for $39.20 and a
Constantine The Great denarius (307-337AD) for $38.00.

Just to have a piece of ancient history like that (I gave one to my son)...

 

[Brent S]

I dabbled in numismatic coins for a while, but found out I really sucked at it. So most of my coins were bought for the precious metal content, or, well, because I liked them for some reason or other. Like the Vickies (I have a complete set of 1890 Vickies, including the maundy coins) I have done things that would get me lynched by hardcore coin collectors. Who cares? It's MY coin, dammit!

Lol, I agree, if you don’t enjoy it too then you’re missing the point. Most of my hobbies are somewhat investments too.

 

[DrHenley]

bigpaul, it has everything to do with prepping. I got into it primarily because of my interest in prepping, which is one reason I buy mostly bullion coins and not numismatic coins (collector coins).

In an economic meltdown, we will need some sort of medium of exchange. Silver has proven to be one of the most popular mediums of exchange for thousands of years. In Colonial America, before there was a United States, or a United States dollar, the preferred medium of exchange was the the Spanish silver dollar, "AKA pieces of eight." The U.S. dollar was based on that coin. In other words, before there was an official currency, the currency was silver. And the most trusted silver coin became the standard that the United States adopted as official currency.

 

[Brent S]

I don't see what silver has to do with prepping.

Government currencies have come and gone over history, yet silver and gold have remained a source of barter or value. That is what makes it a good prepping tool.

 

[DrHenley]

Oh yeah, now I remember...

England didn't have the silver mines in their colonies like Spain did, so historically the British didn't like using silver as a standard.

 

[lonewolf]

post collapse I see no point in something I cant eat or drink, and who fixes the price-how do you know your getting a good deal?? open to a lot of con men I think. bartering is not part of my SHTF planning.

 

[DrHenley]

The whole English Silver thing is starting to come back to me now...

In the 17th and 18th century, demand for Chinese goods in England created a trade imbalance and depleted the British silver supply. Damned limeys just HAD to have their tea, you know...and those pesky Chinese wouldn't take anything but silver...

So the British East India company started an opium black market in China from opium grown in India, and sold opium for silver along the coast, which was ungovernable. The massive sales of opium along the coast drained the Chinese economy of silver and created many opium addicts. The Chinese objected to that, leading to the first Opium War, which the Chinese lost and signed the Treaty of Nanking which allowed opium imports by the British East India company. That arrangement didn't work out well for either side leading to the second Opium War, the outcome of which permanently embittered the Chinese against the West.

All because of SILVER...or the lack thereof...

 

[lonewolf]

better to go without then........and I don't drink tea either!

 

[Gazrok]

post collapse I see no point in something I cant eat or drink, and who fixes the price-how do you know your getting a good deal?? open to a lot of con men I think. bartering is not part of my SHTF planning.

No one person can do EVERYTHING. At some point or another, it is likely you will have to barter or trade with someone for something, in a post SHTF scenario.

Granted, I'm more on your side with the idea that anything I'm trading should have a "useful" quality about it, so I'm not so into the metals bit, but still, no man is an island, forever.

 

[Mountain trapper]

In my opinion it would be a mistake for anyone to put all their investment "eggs in one basket". I think it would be wise to cover as many different types of investments as possible. I'm a firm believer in barter, now and during post shtf. Gold/silver will certainly always be of value, as well as lead, ammo, food, cigs, alcohol and TP.
I've mostly stocked up on gold and silver bullion, plus I have some placer gold left over from my mine. But I also collect US gold coins and old US paper currency. During my travels I've aquired many precious stones too, diamonds, rubys, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, etc. All of which take up very little space and could be good barter items.
The bottom line is to cover as many bases as possible, but make sure that you're able to care for your family first.

 

[Brent S]

No doubt that your ‘retirement’ or prepping plan should be diversified. I think things like extra axe, garden tools, etc. should be included even. You never know what will happen in the future, so having as many options on hand to get you through tough times is a good thing. I liked what arctic said about take care of your family first, then with anything left over you can ‘invest’. To me getting out of debt is included in this concept. Better yet, for the young people here, don’t go into debt to begin with! I had a kid talking about needing a nice car recently. Hell, my first car was a 350.00 piece of crap, but it got me around until I could afford something better. I also didn’t have to spring for full coverage insurance for it.

 

[lonewolf]

No one person can do EVERYTHING. At some point or another, it is likely you will have to barter or trade with someone for something, in a post SHTF scenario.

Granted, I'm more on your side with the idea that anything I'm trading should have a "useful" quality about it, so I'm not so into the metals bit, but still, no man is an island, forever.

oh I intend to be last man standing in this remote corner of the westcountry, a couple of bad winters and some heavy flooding and we'll be cut off for good.
all it takes now is one good winter storm and the south west peninsula is cut off from the rest of the country.
what I haven't got I will do without, I intend my lifestyle post SHTF to be very basic and pre the industrial revolution.

 

[Brent S]

oh I intend to be last man standing in this remote corner of the westcountry, a couple of bad winters and some heavy flooding and we'll be cut off for good.
all it takes now is one good winter storm and everything stops!
what I haven't got I will do without, I intend my lifestyle post SHTF to be very basic and pre the industrial revolution.

I would imagine that’s how we would all learn to live eventually

 

[lonewolf]

I would imagine that’s how we would all learn to live eventually

everything will be finite, without a manufacturing base once its gone its gone for good.
if we cannot make it ourselves we would need to learn to live without quite a bit of "stuff".

 

[General DeGaulle]

In the event of a hyper inflation silver would indeed be the way to go. If events in my country (or the US) unfold like they did in Argentina, Greece, Venezuela not to mention 1920's Germany 'Stuff' would still be available - its just that it would cost an awful lot more paper than it currently does. But, a 1 Oz silver round will still buy a basket of groceries, much as its spot price does now. In a complete societal breakdown, asteroid strike or whatever silver would not be much use I agree. But are we not prepping here for any eventuality, from the minor to the catastrophic? Another thing to consider: Silver is an industrial metal, and its uses are outnumbered only by oil. There are signs that 'peak silver' has already arrived, and at any one time there is less physical silver around than physical gold. Most of the silver that is used in industrial and medical processes is consumed irretrievably, so its scarcity is always increasing.

I have a fair old stash already - mainly silver 1 oz rounds such as Eagles, Britannias etc, but also a fair amount of 'junk' silver. British pre 1920's coins contain 92.5% silver, and pre 1947 coins contain 50%. I would say the silver is essential in a preppers stash. We are not just prepping for extreme scenarios here.

 

[lonewolf]

I've always wondered, in the event paper money is no good, who fixes the price of your silver in an economic depression?
not that I am storing such things, I store food, people will always need to eat and just who is going to barter their food for your silver? never been able to come up with a satisfactory answer on that one.

 

[General DeGaulle]

I've always wondered, in the event paper money is no good, who fixes the price of your silver in an economic depression?
not that I am storing such things, I store food, people will always need to eat and just who is going to barter their food for your silver? never been able to come up with a satisfactory answer on that one.

In an extreme catastrophe, no one. But as stated earlier I am talking about mild to moderate scenarios here. Not societal collapse, just a period of extreme austerity for everyone. In events such as those mentioned in my last post 'stuff ' will still be there to buy. Its just that people will have to spend a lot more paper to get it. In Cyprus and Greece people were limited as to how much cash they could take out of ATMs each week, and in Argentina they just moved the decimal point in peoples bank balances, in effect the government taking 90% of peoples savings and wages overnight. A quantity of silver is insurance against all this. In addition, it is a way of saving which is untaxable, and undetectable to governments. What silver is actually worth will be set by the vendor and will vary - but it will still be tradeable in a world where paper money has returned to its intrinsic value. Which is why China, Russia and Brazil are stockpiling as much as they can get.

I would add that I store food, medicine, liquor etc etc like all other preppers, and for far worse scenarios than an economic crash. my focus isn't just - or even mainly - on silver or mild/moderate events.

 

[SheilaT.]

I agree GDG. It just makes sense to me to have a diverse stash for whatever emergency arises.

 

[lonewolf]

an emergency cash stash just makes sense, but this will only be of use in a minor event-one that lasts a few days, a few weeks.
in a major event it dosent matter how much money one has there just wont be enough stuff around to buy. and that goes for silver and other pm's too.

 

[Kevin L]

an emergency cash stash just makes sense, but this will only be of use in a minor event-one that lasts a few days, a few weeks.
in a major event it dosent matter how much money one has there just wont be enough stuff around to buy. and that goes for silver and other pm's too.

I feel like I'm on the fence with this issue.

I agree that you can't eat silver, and a popular survivalist once said that if one survivor stockpiles guns and another stockpiles gold, then one survivor will end up with both the guns and the gold.

Even so, it seems that silver, gold, and diamonds saved lives in WWII.

People bribed their way onto boats and trains, they bought their way out of concentration camps, and Nazi scumbags used plundered gold to finance their flight to south america when they were fleeing prosecution after the war.

In my family, one hears vague, second-hand hearsay stories about hoarded silver being used to finance a hit on an informer who was leading S.S. ******** to hidden Jews.