GBStacking

I've got another 4oz of gold to go to hit my next objective of 12oz. That'll give me a year off of my retirement age. The silver stack I haven't decided quite what that's for at the moment. There are some other non PM targets I want to hit after I get the gold stack where I want before doing any serious further adding to my stack. And I'm still working on the Godson's little stack project.

Here is the company i've used in the past.
https://www.dauwalders.co.uk/coin-capsules-2501-c.asp

Hi Paul
Not sure what capsule you would need im afraid, but dropping you a web link in a PM (not sure if we can put random business websites up here, happy to amend the post if we are). I have no vested interest in this company, but it's one i've used for capsules for my own stack
 

Most of my Brits are pretty milk spot free, my Philharmonics and early Maples are a different story! Unfortunately, milk spots are just kind of par for the course with silver bullion, but I have found that touching them with bare hands can make them significantly less appealing and seemed to promote milking on mine. Although a lot of mine were already showing signs when I got them as most were second hand. The new Brits that I have (mostly 2022's) have been in the tube pretty much all their life and are unblemished (I've had them out when I first got them just to check they were all present and correct). I've thrown a few silica gel packs in with the stack to keep any ambient moisture down as well. 

I did 2022 Kookaburras for some of my non silver owning family last year. The Godsons are getting Brits to go with their treasure chests, they are very little though so easily pleased!  

Yep, it's a sad day indeed. RIP Queen Elizabeth 2nd.

The Sovereign looks horrible I'm afraid, and (to my admittedly untrained eye) is almost certainly a fake. The detail is incredibly soft and flat. The other two i know nothing about, however as SidS said, the Ducat would be ringing alarm bells with me too if it looks like that in real life (and it's not just a poor photograph). If the 3 are from the same source, i would personally stay well clear and there would be a constant doubt in my mind that anything i bought wouldn't be genuine, no matter how good it looked.

Not sure if it will affect many things monetarily, but it will certainly be a moment of historic significance. I'm currently looking to collect a set of 10oz silver Tudor Beasts so it's quite likely the set will have a change of monarch in the middle of it. It could well be that this makes the set more collectible to others in the future as it captures this transition. 

Welcome to the forum!  

For me personally, i wouldn't pay more for a specific COA number, however i can understand why there would be a small subset of people that would pay more for number 1 of something. Also, there are numbers of cultural significance, 8 i believe is significant in China where it is considered a lucky number. So i could see them paying more for number 88 out of 100 for example, especially if it's meant as a gift.

In terms of the most of one type of coin, that's Sovereigns. But i have a mix of 1oz and a proof half Sov in the stack as well. The 1oz are whatever had the lowest premium when i am in a position to add one to the stack, so it's a mix of Krugs, Brits, a Kangaroo and a Buffalo. 

As for any advice for what to get, it's really down to your own personal circumstances. Buying 1 Sov every time you can afford it works well for a lot of people as it's a nice feeling to see progress regular and often and then it obviously prevents you spending the cash on something else, however if you can save, then you will get better deals either buy buying a bigger 1oz coin at a lower premium or if you are buying from dealers, there is a reasonable discount in premium to be had for buying say 5 Sovs in one go rather than 1 at a time (just be prepared for the inevitable curse of watching spot drop about 2 mins after you complete the order! 😂). 

In terms of selling, Sovs are about as liquid as you are going to get. You should have no issue shifting these to either private individuals or to dealers. 1oz, there are still plenty of buyers for these but you may find people want a pre established seller history before parting with bigger chunks of cash. Dealers though will almost certainly take these off your hands all day long just factor in you might get a little below spot for them.

6 hours ago, LittleMan said:

I am concerned the marks will effect the resell value.

They were stored in mint capsules, in an airtight box with desiccant. Each coin was also in its own mini air tight baggie.

Looking carefully I have seen the same marks on other panders in ebay pictures. They were on pandas of different years to mine.

 

My coins were placed in a box in 2015 - and removed from box in 2022. The coins were only moved a handful of occasions in that time.  I got a panda and gave it x100 more shaking than it has had in my possession and it did not budge. So I dont think they have been slowly vibrating around. But I did see a  guy in a YouTube video talking about how micro tremors and even vibrations from large traffic can ware coins in old cabinets. So I could be wrong!

I have my own theory of the cause. I have had pandas of the same year all stored together with other coins, yet only some 2015 pandas have been effected.

I think whatever caused the tarnishing was most likely already in the capsule or on the coin when the capsule was closed. Its hard to see in the photos but when actually inspecting these coins by eye, it looks like the marks are in places where you would grip with your fingers as they are placed in the capsule. I suspect it may be the result of contaminated hands/gloves of the mint worker placing them in the capsules. This is what gives it the impression its leaked in from 2 places.

What do you think looking at yours GBStacking? Do you see it on opposite sides of the coin where you would pick it up? Do you see it where there is the thumb grip on one side, then spread out finger marks on the other? Do you think there could be merit to my theory?

 

Anyway dipping....

I have been watching some videos on dipping coins. I have 2 maples that arrived covered in finger prints. The prints really annoy me and I have always wanted to clean them, but never knew how to do it without damaging the coin. So I have ordered some dip to try on them.

I am still in 2 minds to if I should use it on the Pandas to remove tarnish, but may try one and see what happens. I dont want to clean/dip coins, but worry these coins will loose their premium if I dont.

I feel like removing the prints is removing damage and I feel better about that, but removing tarnish I am not so sure about.

If I dip a modern coin and it worked perfect, and was completely undetectable that the coin had been dipped, should I inform buyers that it was cleaned/dipped/restored?

To dip or not to dip - that is the question?

 

Thanks as always for all the replies.

 

I've had a good look on mine and there is only the black mark in one place on each of them. On one coin it lines up perfectly with the hole, but the other 3 it doesn't. However my sample size is very small as i only have 4 of the 2015, my 2014 is perfect, but that's slabbed. I certainly couldn't rule out contamination of a batch of capsules, or contamination from handling etc, but when i compare the mark to other heavily naturally tarnished silver, it does look very similar. If they have been produced, or transported through an area with heavy pollution (quite a few to pick from in China) then the sulphur containing compounds in the air could well have exacerbated this. 

As for losing premium, it's a difficult one, ultimately if you are a collector and want a complete set of MS70, it's going to hurt the value, but then so will cleaning them. However, whilst they are undoubtedly collected, they are just Chinese bullion silver. So if you buy them with this in mind, then is wont hurt their intrinsic silver value. I paid a slight premium for mine, but really only bought them as i didn't have any and i quite fancied some. I wasn't looking to pay collector money so just bought 5 mixed dates pre owned, dealers choice. I consider i got really lucky with the slabbed 2014 but the tarnish doesn't really spoil my enjoyment of the 2015's. And at the end of the day, if it really irks me, they are only bullion to me so I may look to gently clean.

Bases on those quotes, I mainly see a lot of news organisations desperately trying to read something into it to have a pop at the government. I use a mix of imperial and metric for almost everything in my life and it will make no real difference to me one way or the other. All i remember when the mandate for using metric came in was my supermarket changed my 4 pint milk to 2 litres and kept the price the same.

Whilst i understand the logic for having one system of measuring things, and arguably the metric system is more widely compatible and sensible, i don't think that anyone's life is going to be negatively affected if we change from a CE mark to a picture of a crown on a glass that still holds an imperial pint of beer either way.

As for nostalgia, i see nothing wrong with that if it does no harm. And given the large number of fans of the Queens Beasts and the Tudor Beasts on the forum (many of them measured in OZt), there must be at least a little place for it in our society.  

My 2015 Panda's have exactly the same issue, it's air getting into the capsule from the little cut out that allows you to open it. The coins naturally rotate in the capsules with movement and vibration, hence why some appear on the other side to the hole. It's a shame it happens, but it's a natural part of owning silver I'm afraid.

For me, it's a combination of both, the VAT was always a painful thing to swallow, but a lot of my early stack of silver was all bought in the UK even pre Brexit and has still turned me a nice profit if I was to sell now. However, the VAT coupled with the crazy high premiums that now seem to be the norm has definitely meant that my bullion stack for retirement has changed it's focus pretty much entirely to gold. I do still purchase the odd bit of silver, but these are mostly for gifts for special dates\events or the odd piece where I think a design is pretty enough that i want to own it just to admire and anticipate doing no more than breaking even at best if i had to sell it.

16 minutes ago, GoldDabbler said:

Thanks for explaining. It makes sense. I'll just avoid rolling up with pillowcase full of readies and carry on using my debit card when buying my Costco sovs.  

Not a problem, these sorts of things can be a mine field to get your head round some times, especially any time some form of government regulation gets involved! I had pretty much the same concerns when I first started out stacking too.

2 minutes ago, GoldDabbler said:

I read somewhere there's a ten grand limit on gold purchasing per year. Any idea what thats about? 

There is a legal limit of £10,000 before additional identification checks need to be made (normally 2 forms such as a driving licence, utility bill etc). This is purely for compliance with money laundering regulations. There is no limit to the amount of PM's that you can purchase beyond what your bank account, and potentially your other half allows.

If you are buying all Sovs as well, you nicely duck any Capital Gains Tax issues at the other end when you sell as it's £ denominated therefore exempt.

Hatton Garden Metals is probably closest to Farringdon Street, ATS is only a short walk away next to the Savoy hotel as well. I haven't personally dealt with Hatton Garden Metals, but ATS has a little chat option on their website which is manned by actual people, they have always been a pleasure to deal with when i have spoken with them (both in the store and online), so if you wanted to get an estimate of what they might buy your coins for, you can always ask them on there and save yourself a walk to get an initial quote.

As others have mentioned, there are lots of other options in that part of London, but when selling to businesses, unless it's got a decent level of numismatic value in the coin, you'll probably be offered spot at best for them. 

I'm not aware of any defacto standard offerings when it comes to rounds in the UK. Most of the ones i have seen are imported anyhow from the US etc. One thing to bear in mind is that not all denominated coins are CGT exempt. It must be denominated in GBP for it to be exempt, so from a tax point of view, a generic round would offer no more tax advantage in the UK than something like a Canadian Maple or Austrian Philharmonic. Where the Maple etc do win out is that they are at the top end when it comes to being recognised and trusted, which can help you command a slightly better resale price, especially if you are selling to the more casual purchaser. If you are just stacking for pure weight and are buying from a trusted source, rounds can offer the best bang for your buck, and there are some really pretty offerings out there. That beings said, I've personally tended to sick to the big government offerings just cause of their absolute liquidity and ease of finding comparative prices.