Alex944

It's a good train of thought really, though I'd argue that the last major change has been the technology/digital revolution. With all the amazing benefits it has brought us, like instant communication across countries and continents, healthcare developments etc, it is also partly the cause of a lot of issues we face nowadays. It brings a lot more control to governing bodies (RIP privacy) and it's also a huge tool of <negative> influence (i.e. social media campaigns that influence big decisions and events) which is not something we've seen before.

Was able to pick up some coins from an antique shop while on holiday. These two are particularly nice in my opinion

After 1/10oz, 1/4oz and 1oz first time getting my hands on a 1/2 oz coin, courtesy of @EuropaBullion

I think it'll work if you create a topic straight from the UK Ungraded section here: https://www.thesilverforum.com/forum/13-united-kingdom-ungraded/ Click on the green ''Start new Topic'' button and you should be fine. Alternatively, you should be able to create it directly with this link: https://www.thesilverforum.com/forum/13-united-kingdom-ungraded/?do=add Good luck & hope you'll find what you are looking for!

BBP is definitely good. Yes a bit more pricey, but sometimes a couple more £ in return for a piece of mind / a coin you may not be able to source from elsewhere can be worth it.

It's hard to say what the best series/coins are as there are multiple facets that can come in to play. Queens beasts was (is) a great series, resonated with a lot of people, high collectability, and it won't be difficult to sell them once the time comes. I am personally of the opinion that should you look to hold for 20+ years anyway, it doesn't matter that much. Collect what you enjoy is probably the best advise I can give in that sense. It's important to be able to enjoy your stack if you are holding for long term, so dab your toes in some different designs and series and see what you enjoy. You can always get rid of the ones you don't enjoy as much as use the proceeds of those sales to fund coins/series that you do like! In terms of rarities, this is a great resource to check: https://en.numista.com/ It will show you all standard specifications (weight, purity, composition, rarity index) and can be really helpful. Enjoy the journey!

Definitely not delusional, but I'd be weary of seeing an ad on ebay for a set of 24oz 999 silver for less than spot. Unfortunately ebay is littered with fakes and dodgy listings, so it may not be the best avenue to sell this particular set. I'd say that if you put it up on the forum for less than spot, it'll be gone within a day.

Nothing Ultra about the rear of this coin imo. You'd think that for very rare coins you'd at least try to give some information. Why does it note 1787-1799 if the picture indicates 1788. I hope people won't fall for this one but you'll never know I guess

Yup, ordered a couple of these when they were released and very happy with the design/quality considering it's a low premium coin. Looking forward to that October release then!

Tough to tell from the pictures. I am not well versed in the sound testing of coins, but I guess it's not weird that a sov has a different sound, considering the different purity (22ct vs 24ct). @stefffana knows some more about sound testing I think, perhaps he can share some knowledge here.

Nice! I saw a video from a guitar youtuber trying out one of these picks, but his one looked different and was a 5g or 10g one from memory. Is that a full 1oz pick? In terms of the telecaster and stratocaster coins; they're quite cool, but I've never been a fan of coloured coins like that. Can't see a price on the website because it's sold out, but I'd imagine they go for quite a hefty premium.

Recognizing a weakness is a great strength In my opinion is not that much about a profit as much as it is retaining buying power. Sure, I'd say every long term stacker would expect some profit in the long run, but in terms of how that profit weighs against the then-current economy is another thing. For arguments sake, you may 'invest' 1K and turn it into 1.5K based on spot price, but is the 1K£ invested in 2020 as powerful as 1.5K in terms of buying power in 2040? Profit is not at the front of my mind when putting my fiat into PM's. It's more a preservative stacking pot with the great bonus of shiny things and overpriced paper weights.

Welcome to the forum! To chime in with Jvw, you may start stacking and later find yourself become both stacker and collector. There's a wealth of information on the forum that may help you and if you have specific questions, you can always post a topic to ask for help or advice. Silver membership is a great addition as you'll have immediate visibility of any trade topics (non-premium members have a 72h delay). Good deals here don't last very long so a membership may prove to be beneficial. In terms of advice - two things to keep in mind when buying PM's 1) Make sure you have an exit strategy. Stacking form long term pension is an exit strategy, but can you exit if you had to in unforeseen circumstances? 2) If a deal you see, be it here, ebay, any dealer, etc, seems to good to be true, it probably is. Don't hesitate to ask for the opinion of others if you are not sure about a potential purchase of the validity of an item - the people here are very helpful and knowledgeable. Enjoy the journey!

Fairly sure that the 1st coin is a half penny. Reference: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces162257.html (may not be Edward 1 specifically) The other ones are quite tough. I'd think there may be some religious roots to them, considering the pillars with perhaps crosses, and the one coin that depicts a temple. May be some form of crusader coin?

For me as a non UK person, I don't have anything against Queen Elizabeth on the reverse. I will say thought that QE is almost ''standard'' as a lot of coins (Canadian, Australian, NZD, Tokelau, etc) outside of the UK carry the portrait. It just makes it a tad boring if you don't necessarily have an affinity with the Queen or the UK in general. I'm not really bothered by it though, it would not stop me from purchasing items that I'd want anyway, though it does make me appreciate some other coins more with left-field countries on the reverse. For instance, the Somali elephants or the Congo Gorilla series have a pretty cool design compared to a bust of monarch xyz.

Good initiative @Foster88

I understand that packaging has to be appropriate, but this is a bit of a waste of packaging material unfortunately. Seems to happen quite a lot

Hi Kevin, They look like the 41mm Lindner capsules, though I can't tell if they have a fingernail gap opening. as reference: https://europabullion.com/supplies/340-capsule-for-1-oz-american-eagle-41-mm.html definitely smooth rim, but I'm not sure if it is the same as what you have there

Seller has great reputation, though I agree it looks a tad odd. The off-centered 10 yuan doesn't bother me as much as it seems that the coin is not placed ''correctly'' and therefore it appears to be slightly off. What caught my eye is the ''3'' in ''30g'' on the coin. It doesn't look as clean as it should. Additionally, in genuine examples, there's a very small gap between the 3 and the leaves of the tree, whereas on the listing it looks like its muddled into the leaf: Admittedly, it may just be the quality of the picture. if in doubt, I'd ask for better quality picture and definitely a picture of the reverse. Too close to call just based on that one picture and if that's the case, probably best to sit this one out.

Considering the ''reviews'', I'd say it probably is.

I wonder how slightly ''slightly'' can be for something like this.

Just doing some browsing and stumbled upon this bad boy: https://www.coininvest.com/en/accessories/racing-bike-gold/ Wonder if you could get that insured 😂

It started as a partial investment. It's only been since 3 years or so ago. Missus and I decided to start saving up for a house deposit and putting some money in stocks and crypto, I also wanted to take a punt on putting some money in gold at the time. Bought a 1oz gold bar and I remember being very disappointed about the size of it 😅. However, that golden hue really attracted me. It wasn't long after that that I decided to buy a couple of silver coins, you know, so it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. One of the EU dealers had a scheme where you could store your purchases for 6 months before shipping so I bought 2-5 silver coins a month with some spare change. When I got these coins, I was definitely hooked. My missus was a bit skeptical at first but she now has the run of 2018-2021 silver dragons from the Perth mint on her home desk and is very protective of them 😂. I'm lucky that she supports me in this. All in all, it has turned into more of a hobby than an investment, though I do consider it a strong investment for long term wealth protection. Some people's hobbies are money pits that only cost you, but at least with this hobby I'll be able to pull out some of my finances (if I so wish) AND I get nice and shiny things.

Also take comfort in the fact that <usually> you'll be able to sell your metals with a % above spot. Especially in the UK where VAT is applied on Silver. You will see plenty of items on this forum listed for second hand, and they tend to be priced a bit below dealer prices and a bit above spot (for bullion coins that is). In that regard it can be viewed as a win-win - buyer pays less than when purchasing at a dealer and the seller gets more than selling to a dealer. Needless to say though that second hand market always carries a risk. Here on the forum people are generally well intended and trustworthy and you can always ask them for more information, check their profiles and trading feedback, etc. Dealers tend to offer more safety than any second hand transaction, though it may be a slightly higher price. It's up to you at that point to decide if paying a few £ more or less is worth it considering the safety of the transaction. In terms of ''is silver a good investment'', I would generally lean towards no, especially if you are consistently paying VAT on it. Rather than an investment necessarily, silver (and PM's in general) is a nice way to build an alternative savings account away from fiat currency. If you are looking to buy low and sell with profit, silver is a tricky one. However if you want to build a stack and hold it for years and years to come, it's probably one of the better ''investments'' you can do. You'll be able to retain your fiat's buying power AND you get nice shiny things. this is just my opinion and experience and not financial advice.

It's the curse of buying, but comfort yourself that you're still sorted in long term. I purchased some gold last year during the time it was hitting 1520-1530£ /oz, so pretty sad in one way, but I tell myself I'll be the winner in 20-30 years from now 🥲