Faiz

First or last I think is a wash.
What might be a factor regarding whichever might command a higher premium in the future is how long they will make them for with KCIII on them.
There are what 26 years worth of silver Britannia coins with QEII on them? King Charles is already in his mid 70's who knows if he will still be sitting on the throne or even be alive in 26 years or even 15 years or 10?
Maybe The Royal Mint will discontinue the silver Britannia coin at some point.
 
 

Whilst they did him proud on the proofs ( CGI lol) he won't look right on the bullion.. I've said this before.. he's going to tank Britannia sales 😂

Ha, the only time I’d be praying for a good dose of milk spotting!!
I think it’s just silverdragon having a laugh at the uk’s expense

Cant see it somehow.
The only similarity is the ear.
Ill stick to pre 2023s if it is.

Yes, you are right to return them.
The dirty / spotted surface has been very prevalent on proofs recently. Not good enough, but they seem happy to have them returned and have to make more.  
Bizarre business model.

Return at your leisure ( believe you have 14 days minimum) I mention leisure, because the next set may need returning too. Hang in there as they should come good eventually.
As @Shinus73 mentioned, strange business model, but it's nothing but a percentage game for the mint now unfortunately. Not all ( actually very few relatively speaking) collectors are on the silver forum, so a fair amount of those have no soundboard-so to speak- and just assume that's they way things are made. 
If less than 30% are returned, then considering the premiums involved with proofs..thats still one very successful business. Sloppy but successful. 

How nice are these?! 🎲 🎲 
 
Thank you very much @BackyardBullion they are gorgeous! 🤩
 

No, ebay is like the wild West when it comes to precious metals lol 😆 
On here is 10 times safer.

Welcome @Ron77
This is the right place to find answers. Good luck with your future sales.

Hello Tom. Welcome aboard. I look forward to your posts 😉

Your right in the sense that everyone has a bias. We can only make choices and decisions based upon our experiences and influences.
People that have perhaps a more traditional approach will usually see more tangible assets as the way to go, Gold, Silver, Property, Art & Collectables, etc. They see these as a store of value or more to the point a store of their wealth. 
Those that are into crypto will see various cryptos as the future, It may be Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Cardano (ADA), etc
The wanna be Buffet's and stock traders of us will see shares in companies as the place for storing their wealth. 
And so on and so on. We tend to stick to what we know and what we are comfortable with. This is only right. You wouldn't ask a brickie to replace a hip. Likewise a surgeon is probably not the best person to ask to build a house. However, everyone see's there are problems with the fiat system. Governments all operate with a negative cash flow. They spend more than they receive. The deficit never decreases. How can this be a stable system. At some point the debt repayments will be unsustainable along side the other commitments. This is when something has to give. A debt jubilee, more taxes, reduced ownership rights (I believe it was Corbyn's crew that were thinking of taking the properties off universities, the likes of Cambridge and Oxford. Would not be much of a leap to private property). Who knows what could happen, but currencies tend to have a life span/ cycle. 
We all need to try to store our hard earned savings, those that can. What's best for each individual may differ. We will also need a measure of exchange. This differs dependant upon where you live. UK the pound, USA the dollar, Europe the euro, etc. They are different. Storing cash is not a store of value or wealth as inflation erodes it's spending power. Its needed and its the currency that enables us to obtain what we need. Food, Clothing, Shelter. 
In general, as least on here, I think people recognise that there is a change to come. I don't think its a case of crying wolf. Nobody knows when, but its best to be prepared just in case. and I for one would rather be years or a generation early than a week late. What I use to store the value of my savings may differ from others, But form my experiences, Its what suits me best.

Hello @gav999
Good, thank you 🙂. Welcome to the forum. I see you are both a stacker and collector. You’re in the right place, amongst friends. Please let us know if we can help you with anything. The forum is full of useful topics, and good people from all walks of life. You may want to do a few searches first. 

One of the best things about this forum is learning from others experience. I am hoping not to touch my gold. 

Gold is trading at a historic high and silver is bumping along with hopefully much more upside potential but how long a wait for £30 per ounce spot ?
Prices for American Silver Eagles are crazy and especially attractive for sellers in the USA.
I am surprised that people are currently selling silver and buying gold.
Personally I feel that as long as you hold PMs you are kind of protecting purchasing power in fiat, so unless you need the cash, don't get rid of your PMs.
Is gold a better buy than silver ?
Only time will tell and half will get it wrong so go with your gut and not what you read as no-one knows and there are no guarantees.

 
 

Welcome to the forum. There are alot of members who know their soveriegns so to speak. We all make mistakes learn from and carry on, Just remember PM collecting is very addictive.
Welcome aboard and have fun

Big thanks for the welcome to you all, some nice tips from Pete and Wileyfox, will look into scales and calipers.
Atkinsons and Chards looked like good options after my first google search for UK bullion dealers, for a few starting reference pieces from reputable dealers.  A silver membership will also be on my list of to do's in the near future. 
I did think about just trading PM's as a derivative - according to a tested trading plan - but the thought of holding real money (as opposed to all currency) appeals - and not just in a shiny thing way.  Looks like I'm in good company...

Welcome to the silver addicts club.
Once you get started you will need your habitual regular fix !!
Advice to a noob from a seasoned old fart -
1. Cut your teeth on sovereigns ( maybe consider half sovereigns - BUT make sure you can tell the difference !!! )
I've seen people confuse a half and a full and believe me unless you hold both at the same time you have a 50% chance of getting this wrong.
2. If buying silver - good place to start, as relatively cheap compared to gold - DO NOT BUY YOUR FIRST COINS ON E_BAY.
Stick to popular bullion one ounce coins like Britannias, Maples, American Eagles, Philharmonics, Libertads, Pandas etc.
I strongly recommend you buy from sellers on this forum with a perfect feedback score as you will most likely get the best prices.
Failing that check out the popular dealers - BullionbyPost, Atkinsons, Chards, SilverTrader and others and look for the best deal taking into account VAT and postage as some of these sellers add VAT to their headline price and some include shipping.
3. Buy digital scales for about £10-20 that can measure to 0.01g.
4. Ensure you have a reference to the coins you buy stating dimensions, weights etc. and be able to measure these things and understand that modern fakes from China can look perfect but there are tests you can do and that's why until you have some experience and genuine coins in your inventory only then can you consider eBay and Facebook etc. which are ripe in fakes but not from many reputable sellers - only you don't know who they are yet.
This forum can be your best friend so be prepared to spend time reading various posts.
Most questions will be answered here and if you wish to start your collection say in silver place a Wanted in the trade section stating what you are seeking, quantity and ideally price you are prepared to pay after checking the dealers etc and maybe even sold on eBay listings so you know market prices. Most if not all sellers on this site have done their homework so be realistic in expectations to gain the best responses.

Some members might trade on margins or ETFs but I personally don't.
Welcome to the forum and enjoy your journey in the world of precious metals.

First off - welcome to the forum and yes enjoy the ride!
If you're interested in buying/selling then I'd highly recommend the silver membership on the forum as you'll see the trade listings as they are posted and you'll start to get a feel for how coins are priced here on the secondary market.
For me buying a gold sovereign is a good way to start as it's the most liquid gold coin and you'll always be able to sell them on here quickly for a fair price.
Silver premiums - yes they are high at the moment, the idea here though is to get the premium back by when you come to sell (here or elsewhere). Bullion Britannias are a good first choice for silver as there's a vibrant market on the forum both to buy and sell.
As you say hedging a physicial position is possible in many ways - going short or buying a put option with spread betting or CFDs, or an inverse ETF etc. I don't do this myself - I think we're in a bull market for PMs and even when I think the price of gold/silver will fall for a while I find it too stressful with all the price fluctuations and getting the position sizing right.

Welcome to TSF!
I’m new too - you’ll find a whole load of information here and some very knowledgeable members.
Small piece of advice -  if you’re interested in buying gold/silver on the forum, it would be worthwhile upgrading your membership when you’re ready, you’ll see some of the good deals, earlier.

Hi there welcome , I'm a newbie too, it's a good place to pick up information that can be overwhelming overloading at times , and some very helpful tips gained and still learning , so kudos to those on here with more experience
 

Not always, but 90% of the time. 
Sometimes dealers have pre-owned and even new items, cheaper than the forum. Always worth doing due diligence before committing on here.
What's the benefit of the forum??
1) cheaper prices "mainly"
2) like minded folk who can help and point you in the right direction. 
3) you actually see what your buying on here, so no nasty surprises regarding condition. 
4) with over 18000 members who obviously have differing tastes, you will 9 times out of 10 find a very specific item on here, if you put up a wanted post.
5) interaction..you can learn a ton of information on here just by scrolling through previous threads, do get involved though as you have a part to play also.
Enjoy your journey and welcome aboard. 

Hello @gav999
Good, thank you 🙂. Welcome to the forum. I see you are both a stacker and collector. You’re in the right place, amongst friends. Please let us know if we can help you with anything. The forum is full of useful topics, and good people from all walks of life. You may want to do a few searches first. 

Welcome aboard. 
Best place to sell is on here, some years obviously are worth more than others due to mintage/rarity etc, condition will play a role too.
Some pictures would help, so in the meantime I'm going to assume just generic bullion sovereigns. 
Full £375 upwards 
1/2 £190 ish
 

I think there is an element of the "grass being greener on the other side". For those not in PMs, see silver as a gateway. This is how I saw it anyway. Once in Silver, the sights are firmly set on Gold. Human nature. I agree with @James32, one monster box of silver is enough. There is a very good chance of silver seeing its ATH (~30 squid spot) in the next year or two. Of course, physical being a lot higher. I can't see spot going to triple digits though. Saying that, it all depends on whether we see a new monitory system in the coming year or two. If so, then there could be a real flight to commodities and silver spot could end up seeing prices north of 50 squid. As for exit strategy, not sure of that yet. Although, I have sold on Ebay before. Not had any issues thankfully, but not ideal either. Like @James32, my aim is to trade/sell/transition from silver into gold.