Provident Metals

Metals, She Wrote: Precious Metals Pet Peeves

What a week! If you would have told me a month ago the Cubs would win the World Series, Texas A&M would make the first College Football Playoff poll, and Donald Trump would win the presidency, I would have asked what medication you were taking.

It has been quite a season of surprises, but I think some topics are a bit too fresh to dive into this week. And, to be honest, the metals market is reacting with such craziness, it’s hard to even predict where it’s headed.

I think this would be a good week for any of you who might be a little miffed to vent a bit. If you are feeling victorious, feel free to join in as well. This week, we are discussing our precious metals pet peeves.

Most long time investors and collectors could easily list several of their biggest annoyances when it comes precious metals; beginning with the researching process, to purchasing, receiving, storing, and selling, there are a multitude of opportunities to find grievances with the practice.

Since I am a relatively new investor, myself, I can’t say I have an extensive list of pet peeves, aside from having to actually pay for my metals (wink wink, boss). I have read a few from prominent collectors, which seem understandable.

Some of the most popular frustrations include referring to a one-cent coin as a penny versus a cent. The term “penny” is British. Penny is the singular unit of currency, while pence is the plural; therefore, technically, since Americans use “cents” as the plural for currency, we should use “cent” rather than penny. It’s trivial to many, but to others, semantics rule.

Another common annoyance is milk spots. From my daily readings of a myriad of coin collection websites, I see many individuals find issues most commonly with RCM bullion. For most, this doesn’t seem to impede the purchase of RCM products, as it is some of the highest quality bullion available, but others avoid Maples and the like for fear of the dreaded spots. (Though, from what I’ve gathered, milk spots do not impact the value of a coin).

Perhaps the most popular issue I’ve seen is quite understandable- counterfeit coins. In this day and age, counterfeiting abounds, and ensuring your dealer is reputable can be tough. Because I only shop Provident Metals (shameless plug), I have never personally encountered this issue. As the idiom goes, in this case, counterfeiting is the world’s second oldest profession, so I am certain some of you might have unfortunately stumbled across it at some point.

So, obvious question for this week- what are your personal bullion collecting and investing pet peeves? Have you encountered those mentioned, yourself? What one issue really grinds your gears? Let me know, below!

When you shop certified silver from Provident, you can have peace of mind your bullion is quality, investment grade silver! Add the BU Cleopatra – NGC MS70 | 2 oz Silver Ultra High Relief Medallion to your portfolio, today!

Happy Stacking!

-J