ShropshireTom

On 07/11/2023 at 17:37, RavenMcB73 said:

For anyone curious, i received my order today.

Same. All checked and tested and genuine. Fast and pleasant service from the member too

Waiting list please, these are lovely 👍🏻

6 hours ago, BackyardBullion said:

He ended the listing....

He’s back with a pamp bar though. I’ve reported it and messaged him telling him that. I’ll let you know if he replies….

1 hour ago, stackerp5 said:

My haul for today. Luckily I pucked everything up all at once. The beautifully stunning unpolished half sov from @James32, the brits from @Ryan, a gold panning kit from Amazon, and probably the most amazing purchase yet: I bought myself a watch as a future graduation gift, not long to go now but this is keeping my eyes in the horizon. Beautiful, stunning watch from @watchesandwhisky.

This watch is not much for some, maybe most, on this forum. For me, this is a milestone and a big point in my financial history as well. Had it not been for PM's and the supportive people around me, I would've spent all my money on drugs, and I don't know where I'd be today.. Addiction is no joke. So it means the world to me to have gotten this far, and this is just an incentive to keep on going and  growing. Thank you to all at TSF! Just thought I'd share my happiness with you all 😁😁😁😁

I felt this post like a gut punch. Good for you. I never touched drugs, but I nearly ended up in jail for assorted acts of violence and scallywag behaviour in my youth. Find the right track and keep on it. It’s like rocky said - nothing hits harder than life, and it’s never been about hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep on going.

Now Rocky isn't much of a philosopher, but it’s something that has always resonated with me. You take care and don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes you have to suffer in your youth to motivate you to succeed in life. If Bill Gates had got laid in high school there wouldn’t be a Microsoft.

5 hours ago, Orpster said:

I buy in spurts lol, three more bits coming tomorrow and that's my quota for the year.  Have done three months worth of purchases over one weekend  

Bet I’m better at it than you are. If you want to know when prices are unseasonably high, watch for me buying. If I haven’t purchased a lot for a while, prices will be low 🤣🤣 

Nice haul too 👌🏻

PM sent. I’ll take the all Thalers either cash after delivery or via BYB’s intermediary service (seller pays fee) and get your feedback moving 👍🏻

On 01/11/2023 at 23:26, silverJEF said:

i identify as a person who owns 100 oz of gold 🤕

I identify as someone who wants @silverJEF’s 100oz of gold 🤣

25 minutes ago, Olivard said:

I do like the double sovereign for special years. These designs can be complex (especially the 2022 memorial) and the size of a double sovereign highlights the intricate work.

That’s great info. I’ve not looked at the doubles - will have a look 👍🏻

And whilst I’m thinking about it, how careful do you have to be with fakes? I’m worried I will inadvertently spoil a proof if I do my normal weighing and measuring routine with a proof

I’ve had lots of bullion sovereigns over the years and enjoy them but, ultimately, they have always just been bullion to me as none of have been rare or old enough or obscure enough to carry much of a premium.

I have started thinking about getting coins I enjoy that will hold their premium but where do you start with the Sovereigns? I’ve read so much my head is spinning. I’m leaning towards proof full sovs with the box and COA but the half are also really nice coins…..

Then I’ve just seen in the for sale section East India Company Guineas at £420 each with no box or COA which is keenly priced at the moment. I don’t see them very often (but haven’t been looking….) and thought they were interesting and might be a good start to a narrower and less bewildering array.

What do people collect on here? And what advice would you give to someone relatively well versed in bullion PM’s moving into the proof world?

At this rate I’m feeling I’ll revert to type and just end up buying Libertads again as I love them 🤣

If you do decide to split let me know - I’d be interested in a conversation about the quarter at the right price 👍🏻

I’ll have 8 of the samurai bars please - will PM now

On 02/11/2023 at 09:40, Leonmarsh said:

There is only liquidity in certain coins sovereigns in short 

Numismatics are not getting the love they deserve as their being benchmarked against spot coins 

I had someone message me asking why my 5 roubles was not spot? Because it's not a basic sovereign was the answer 

Oh my god this annoys the c**p out of me. Not on this forum I have to say, usually in person. But the old “oh! That one’s lovely! That ones £25 too like this one?”

No mate - that limited production year proof libertad is not the same price as the beat up Brit you’re looking at no. And whilst we are at it and before you ask - the gold ones are more money too. Yes really - that much more. And I’m going to rock your world here pal - the 2oz and 10oz are also more expensive than the 1oz. 

1 hour ago, James32 said:

Today I received sweet nothing, but "my friend 😁" finally put sovereigns into a mishmash of capsules.

firstly - lovely collection!

secondly - I didn’t know I had OCD until you posted this 🤣🤣 that would make my brain itch!

39 minutes ago, DrKarlMoneys said:

Who's your friend Scrooge McDuck?

So very close! You could argue half correct - the friend is the illegitimate love child of Scrooge McDuck and Warren Buffet. 
 

Scrooge Buffet also benefits from the Rothschild family’s money nous as they adopted him as a baby when Warren Buffet couldn’t face a child with feathers.

On 09/06/2023 at 12:09, Silverbull said:

Yes I am aware of the ban, I’m not selling anything, simply sharing these SS rounds. 
I think the ban should include anything that has ever been faked if this is the real reason for the ban. 😏

 

KEEP CALM AND STACK ON.  

I know what you mean - but that would leave us with slim and obscure pickings 🤣

On 23/06/2023 at 08:11, GoldDiggerDave said:

1. Silver is not an investment FACT. 

2. Silver has never kept up with inflation  for any sustained period of time FACT

3. Silver is not a hedge against inflation FACT see 2. If it’s never kept up with inflation how’s it supposed to hedge something it doesn’t keep up with? 

4. cash in the bank since 1971 has out performed silver over the last 52 years FACT

5 cash in the bank today is smashing silver FACT

6 silver is not a good store of wealth FACT see 1,2,3,4,5

 

im not out to dance on anyone’s hopes and dreams but that’s what silver is a hope a dream that someday it will be worth more than you paid and it’s kept it’s store of wealth even out performing inflation…..it could but then we are describing a gamble not an investment. 

I don’t have a particularly strong view one way or the other on the points you raise (other than I don’t doubt the factual accuracy) but I would like to play to devils advocate on a couple of points:

1) The silver or gold price in FIAT currency is not a good indicator of anything. GBP and USD are printed on demand by central banks when they need it. This leads to its devaluation and is the larger part of inflation.

2) Because of the above, the gold to silver is, it could be logically argued, much more important that currency to PM relationship.

3) Platinum and silver are under valued currently because we have seen the first wave of ‘regular’ investors running out on FIAT currency and heading to the obvious PM.

I don’t particularly hold those opinions, but they do give me pause for thought. I favour sliver and play over gold after having made solid gold gains and cashed in because I could t believe it had major upside from £1000 an ounce. I was stratospherically incorrect in that thought.

And let’s not forget on the gold front, I remember when it was not easy to shift, wasn’t a loved asset and the best you could often hope for - even in the Jewellery quarter (which I don’t live far from and is a regular haunt) of Birmingham was was 10% to 15% under spot. Before the interweb, it was considered a pain in the ass to move in any real quantity. I could buy 9ct and 18ct at 40% under spot relatively easily for a long time. Then BOOM, it relatively quickly turned. Maybe the white PM’s will do the same?

At the same time gold was out of favour, platinum was a dream and in high demand. The quarter would gobble it up and fashion jewellery out of it. 
 

it is an interesting topic. Nothings on a bull run until it’s on a bull run. If you can call them, you will make a fortune…

On 01/11/2023 at 10:42, Panda6Pack said:

If it weren't for my current personal situation, I'd get you started on some winners. 

But let me leave some advice. 
First and maybe won't go over well but - stay away from Royal Mint if you intend to sell on. I've been looking through past sets from them and they are almost all spotted. Real shame. 
Stay away from high mintage sets. Anything over 50,000 total mintage will bring a lesser return. 
Get comments and reviews on strikes. In other words, how clear is the image? How much detail is in the background and foreground? 
Off the top of my head - Can't go wrong with Perth Mint and Royal Australian Mint as long as you like the subject matter. 
                                          Pressburg Mint has awesome designs but the bullion version are not struck very well so buy the proof-like
                                          Germania Mint has awesome quality but I'm afraid I'm not too keen on their direction (Runes and Witchcraft series - not into the demonic)
                                          There are tons of U.S. small mints doing awesome work, but again, watch the strikes and buy them legally ! 
                                          New Zealand Mint (mostly Niue legal tender) - not so good on strikes. Compare the DC Superheros with Perth Mint Marvel Series)
                                          Fiji Legal Tender - a bit more pricey but Oh My (see my Cat on a recent post) - they are usually sealed as well as encapsulated. 
                                          China government coins - politics aside - best coins you can get. Super quality and design. 
                                          KOMSCO and Today Ltd. South Korea is on fire! New series from KOMSCO - Princess Series - get them !
                                          There is more but would take too ling to write, lol

Quick word on condition - 
           Patina and toning - This is where you see colours from yellow and browns to purple to dark brown. It's fine. If you like the coin, then buy it. This can easily be cleaned frictionless  (no touching). Personally I would not clean them however. 
           Blemishes and "milk spots" - Unless you are in love with the coin, leave it. White "smears" or spots cannot be removed without damaging the coin and image. I've experimented on cheap coins  and any method will leave varying degrees of spots and will leave varying degrees of scratches. Also be aware that spotting can happen at any time. Put it away clean and perfect and a month later it will have spots (Royal Mint) which make you cry. It cannot be prevented. 
           Scratches - Again. unless you are in love with the coin, leave it. Unless you are a master precious metals polishing guru, scratches will not go away. 

Lastly, buy from reputable sources. The forum is full of great pieces and trustworthy sellers. Unfortunately there are also sellers who circumvent HMRC and don't pay the VAT on imported silver. I have always done my best to import my silver legally paying what I owe. There is no harm in asking questions. I tend to lean towards supporting "civilian" forum members such as myself, and then online dealers (with websites and such), who sponsor the forum. Give the little guy a chance, lol. 

But the most important piece of advice .... If you like it - and it moves you, buy it. 

Hope this helps. 

 

Pretty much this. But I do have one thing to add:

BE WARY OF WHERE YOU BUY. Set up accounts on Temu, AliExpress and all the Chinese retailer sites and keep an eye on what is regularly faked. Learn to spot them, and avoid like the plague. Gold, silver and platinum are all regularly faked. I’m regularly offered fakes and once you’ve seen a couple you can spot them from a mile off. Get a rare earth magnet and learn what real silver ‘sticky slide’ looks like.

This site is great and a lot of clues up people on it. EBay can catch you right out if you’re not on your game.

it’s not hard to do your due diligence, but many don’t.

for what it’s worth, odd ball coins are often never faked and as such can make a good investment as long as you pay accordingly as they are less desirable. Brits, Roo’s, maples, eagles, pandas are all regularly copied. And as I say, some are relatively good. Pay attention. Weight and size are a good indicator - density never lies. As is magnet test for silver.

On 22/04/2023 at 19:06, Pete said:

Don't forget that Platinum used to be higher priced than gold.
Why it is well below gold I don't know because Pt is rarer and more expensive to mine.
In jewellery it was historically seen as more precious than gold.
Some will say the price fell due to low industrial demand but what would happen if overnight the hydrogen market took off, fuel cells took off, water purification took off, maybe Elon Musk shows interest .... ???
Just maybe however gold is too high and at some point will collapse - who knows ?

I am holding onto my Pt as making a small profit now isn't really of any interest.
I sold most of my gold a while back and now wish I hadn't as it has risen a lot since.
Same could happen with Pt so unless you require the cash I would hold.

I did the same. Cashed in what I thought was a healthy profit and paid for a house extension. If I’d have kept it all (some of it had been with me for 20 years….) I could have paid off the mortgage and still had an extension.

On platinum, I also hold. I remember the premium to golf days and often think - if nothing else, surely at some point people will think gold looks too expensive against platinum and maybe just gold stackers diversifying will drive up the price. Or not, I never call these well - but then again I also don’t lose so I can’t complain.

PM sent 👍🏻

8 hours ago, Darr3nG said:

Special offer on final 3 coins... £1230 delivered

That's 3 x proof coins, selling as bullion, at spot!

I’ll take them if you still have them. Sending PM momentarily.

4 hours ago, sovereignsteve said:

The problem is the number of fakes, these seem to outnumber genuine coins.

I'm not aware of a good reference source to indicate prices etc

The fakes of silver coins generally seems to have sky rocketed in the last 10 years. You always had to be mindful with gold coins but silver was generally relatively safe - Thalers aside. It’s getting to be a mine field with junk silver of a higher value.

I dont deliberately buy trade dollars so thankfully not so much of an issue for me, but I’ve seen loads recently. I have a box full of fake bars and coins that I pull out of joblots I often buy and I use them to educate myself for spotting when I’m buying. A sad state of affairs.

One last hijack post anecdote because it was realy funny, then I’ll let you get back to trade dollars.

1983 Libertads will not fit through the pipe in an LG 8kg washing machine into the coin trap and necessitate a £350 call out to dismantle said LG to remove said 1983 Libertad. Ask me how I know! 🤣 Actually thought I was going to have to sleep in the car.

2 minutes ago, ShropshireTom said:

I wish I had some left! I remember a few that I didn’t have the heart to scrap and had them put to one side. I’ll have a dig and if I can find them I’ll let you know. I wouldn’t bet on it though 🤣 my junk cupboard probably has 100+kgs of .925 and below silver. If they are in there they will take some finding. 
 

most conversations in my house start “What the f*ck is that? You are actually half magpie, aren’t you?! I know what you are going to say, don’t even think of saying “But it was cheap”! And if I hear you quote spot price one more time I’m going to scream.”

and just so you know, the response of “Well if we extended the garage, I could spend the money on expensive, unreliable, heap of cr*p expensive Italian cars and motorcycles instead of precious metals.” Absolutely does not work 🤣🤣

And whilst we are on the subject, you know the funny part? If said precious metal originated in the workshops of Cartier or Boucheron and retails at a few hundred plus percent on top of spot (and the rest…) and is designed to be worn by her, that is absolutely ok, no questions asked.

sorry for hijacking your thread pal 🤣🤣