On this bright Texas morning, I’m reflecting on the industry I call home. While not the job I had originally planned for (I’m beginning to think no one uses the degree they possess), this is the work that gets me excited to go to the office each morning. I must give credit largely to the sense of community surrounding the precious metals industry.
I believe a large part of the addictive nature of bullion stacking and investing is the community aspect; for that reason, I’d like to start a Friday blog series where I share some of the latest news in the precious metals industry I find interesting and share my favorite new Provident releases; more importantly, I’d like for YOU, the reader, to share your stories of how you began stacking, what investments you think are best, your favorite finds, and where you think the industry is heading. In order to take advantage of this aspect of the precious metals universe, I want to hear from you.
When I first began working in the industry, I was blown away by this family-feel. Whether perusing Silverbugs, checking out haul videos, or reading updates on a myriad of message boards dedicated to collecting and stacking, community is key. Stackers looking to show off their latest purchases, collectors sharing stories of unique coins found in their change, and new investors seeking advice on the smart way to buy bullion fill online channels and bring together scores of bullion buyers, worldwide.
This week, I am absolutely loving the new release in the Egyptian Gods series. Can we all agree Anubis hasn’t had a diet cheat-day, ever? If you haven’t started your collection of ultra high relief rounds, this round is a great way to start. Throw in a Cleopatra if you want a truly seductive round.
You probably guessed today’s topic: Brexit. In the aftermath of the historic June 23rd referendum, what do you think the short and long term impacts on precious metals will be? How does the American and the global precious metals investor fare in the new European landscape? We’ve already seen a volatile gold and silver market with metals reaching peaks not seen in years. Would you have chosen to Brexit or Bremain?
Let’s hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below what you think and if you have any topics you’d like to discuss. Happy stacking!
-J
I started selling scrap metal several years ago: mostly copper and brass. When the price of copper began to drop dramatically, I began to study the reasons why commodity prices fluctuated. When I looked at silver and gold historical charts last year, I realized that silver prices were wonderfully low and I should spend some scrap earnings on silver. I first bought from a Texax company that went bankrupt (they treated me well what time I did business with them) and then started checking more closely. I haven’t bought online from anyone other than Provident since.
The impact of Brexit will be short term – based on fear and hyped by media that love their magic words. Global Industry is the most important determining factor for long term commodity prices. Since British industry is a small player in that realm, the ebb tide of commodity prices will not support spiking silver above $20/oz for very long.
But I know more about scrap than .999…
Well, we certainly appreciate your business!
Interesting thoughts on Brexit. I too think the volatility will not last too long, but I am unsure if we will see a closer gold/silver ratio appear at some point. I’ve always heard British industry was a quasi significant player in the global economy, but I’m no economist. 🙂
-J
This article made me smile. For some strange reason I scrolled to the bottom of the main page (which I never bother with) and saw a section on “blogs”. I figured it would be boring outdated stuff I wasn’t interested in, how wrong I was. Your first analogy about not using the degree possessed, I found frightfully accurate. As I read on, I related deeply to your sense of community feelings because although I know it exists, I certainly can’t find it in my home or family, whenever I talk Silver prices, everyone just sighs like, “oh lord, here he goes again”.
I’m not even sure why I got interested in Silver except as an investment NOT tied into the stock market or the US dollar. (More on that in a moment.) My interest in Silver went from a monetary investment interest to a passion of the ART involved in Bullion Rounds which in turn led me to The Silverbug community which you touched on immediately and I smiled again, as I related oh so well. I just received a 5 oz 1000 limited mintage of Alyx the Fairy which was available for maybe 3 days before it sold out. Silver gold mine !! I’m a huge fan of Silverbug and love their rounds. The other series you touched on, Egyptian Gods is very notable for it’s deep cut High Relief and detail, as well as the fact it’s a 2 oz weight round instead of 1. I really like the heavier rounds because they simply feel so much more substantial when you hold them. I also recommend the Hobo Nickle series which has a fascinating history unto itself, and the artwork in delightful.
I’m not going to go all political here, but getting back to the investment concept, I don’t have much confidence in the American Dollar, therefore I think a universal product (silver) is a good investment, and since I don’t have much confidence in the US government, I personally believe that foreign produced rounds will be more appealing on a secondary world market.
As I finished reading the blog, I was intrigued by who could have written something I related to so well, so I was looking for a name or pic, expecting to see a male of 60 or older with bi-focals and a book……. Whooops, Instead I see a real life Cleopatra Round staring back at me. Beautiful.
Thanks John for your comment!
Collecting/investing/stacking precious metals is indeed a highly addictive and fun practice; perhaps you have to be a part of the community to fully understand the appeal! I enjoy reading Silverbugs for the excitement from members on new offerings, market trends, and those crazy stories of finding highly valuable coins in change they received from Whataburger (my apologies to the states without Whataburger).
I’m excited to see the next round in the Egyptian Gods series; Heidi Wastweet is a true genius in ultra high relief sculpting.
Keep checking back for new Friday Metals Forums blogs!
-J
You should title your blog, “Metals, She Wrote.”
I see what you did there. I’ll make sure to keep you on call for future blog titles! 🙂
-J
i too find the ultra high relief rounds appealing. the Egyptian series and Privateers are amazing designs. my most recent acquisition are the two hobo nickle designs.
as far as my thoughts on the industry… i try not to focus on my metals in terms of dollars. i have (x) number of oz…not (x) number of $ worth. and latley buying more silver than gold.
just when you think prices cant possibly go lower…they do…and when you wait for a dip to buy…it doesn’t dip
so my focus has been shifted towards the gold/silver ratio.
a week before brexit, i noticed the debt clock created space for real-time unmanipulated (gold, silver, and copper) physical oz/ m2 currency supply ratios. more interesting than the unmanipulated price is the real gold/silver ratio.
my gut tells me the first thing to correct itself will be the ratio…moreso than $7,000 gold and $800 silver
recently silver was around 80/1
today it hit 67/1
next week?
next month?
if it corrects itself at this pace we could realistically see $1450 gold and $35 silver before its finished correcting.
but none of this really matters to me..i have certain amount each month to forget about. so i will keep buying metals if the spot price doubles or cuts in half.
The Hobo Nickels are next on my list to collect. My grandfather worked on the railroads for 40 years, so the history behind the rounds and The Train design are incredible, to me.
Your thoughts on the gold/silver ratio are quite interesting, as well. I regularly like to do the math to see how the ratio fluctuates, and I’m curious to see if a closer ratio is to come.
-J
My mom was a waitress in The Late 1950’s and Early 1960’s, so, a little over a year ago I began building on her collection of The 90% dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars she already had. The investment that I have made in Precious Metals thus far (I’ve branched out to Gold, Palladium, and Platinum), have far surpassed my former paper investments. We still have capital in the bank, however, Precious Metals have become a big part of our family portfolio.
That’s so interesting! I never would have thought to begin a collection that way, but it sounds like you and your mom are some clever folk!
I haven’t begun a Palladium or Platinum collection yet; what are your favorite forms to invest in those metals?
-J
Informative – and fun!
Keep writing, J, and you’ve got a new subscriber!
Thanks, J2! Hope you had a great 4th!
-J