GBStacking

When I've purchased items in person at ATS, they have always been extremely polite and professional, even when i was a total newbie and wanted to ask the most basic questions. I've never actually asked them to test my purchases, but i have seen someone selling in there, they discussed what he wanted to sell, then came out with a tester and tested the items with the customer, that way both parties were fully involved with the process and there was no debate about what the machines reading was. I very much doubt they would object if you wanted the items testing in front of you before parting with your money.

My input would be largely the same as @MonkeysUncle. I've just bought some more sovs to add to my stack as it was (on the gold side of things) mostly in 1oz coins and i wanted a bit more fractional. 1oz are pretty liquid if you don't mind selling to a dealer (from what i can tell, you don't really lose much on the buy back premium unlike with much bigger gold bars), but I also wanted a good holding in smaller sovs. That way, if i want to liquidate a bit of my retirement pot when the times comes, i dont need to do it in £1500 chunks, i can release a more modest few hundred pounds. Plus as mentioned, its much easier to find more people privately with that amount of cash they are willing to part with quickly.

Just added a few more sovs to the retirement stack.

I can recommend the Italian Job (original version naturally) Doesn't have gold in the title so doesn't immediately look like your trying to sway her mind.

In a boat, that then unfortunately sinks 😂

If you can make the rest of the "Wooden Spoons" in my kitchen look that good id be a happy man! I wouldn't consider any one of those as an inferior prize, just a little more compact.

Most of my friends are reasonably financially savvy, but i do have a couple that would have to seek a loan if an unexpected bill of only £100 came up! They live hand to mouth through a combination of a relatively low wage and poor financial management. I sat down with one friend once and tried to help them work out a budget plan. The plan i proposed still allowed them cigarettes and a Friday night in the pub each week, just with a reduction in volume and some compromises elsewhere. In the end, i couldn't even persuade them to give up their takeaway coffee from the petrol station every morning (they went to work with a big flask of coffee anyway). I gave up at that point.

Congratulations! @Rll1288 🙂

I know absolutely nothing about pouring, but it doesn't look like a bad piece for a first attempt. If it's something you plan on doing more of, I'd be tempted to keep it for posterity. It might also be a useful reference to yourself so you can compare your progress.

Can only find 4 reviews for them on Trustpilot, the earliest is from 26th of November this year, also shows a 4 star rating overall, but all 4 reviews are 5 star!?. May just be a very new company so i do not wish to level any criticism unfairly, but from my personal perspective i would like to see more to back the company up, especially as people have said, the prices are looking somewhat "keen". For what it's worth as well, the address comes back to a serviced office, so probably isn't a place where you can purchase over the counter. Would be interested to know if people do take the plunge and order from them.

Both my god sons have a silver Britannia for their birth years, the eldest (3 years old) refers to it as his treasure 😂 Once they are older i will go into more depth with them. Fortunately their whole family understands the value of money and are fully supportive. The parents also got a 2022 Kookaburra from me this year for Xmas. Other than that, i have given a few friends some bits of silver over the years, but most have absolutely no idea that I'm even into stacking (i don't think they really would have any interest and i don't particularly want the world and his wife knowing what i have for security reasons, even if i don't actually have it with me).

As far as i am aware, if it's a tube from the mint, they only hold the coins in their raw state and wouldn't be big enough to take anything in a capsule (the ones for Britannia's are enough of a pain with just the coins!). I'm afraid i cant advise on what may or may not fit in 3rd party tubes though.

I would like to pick up another 5 bullion sovs to give me a little more diversification in my stack, other than that, the target is at least 5 Oz of gold. Im bullion focused so not too fussy what form it takes, i think the choice will mostly be driven by % over spot.

I'm a pure bullion guy but i do still try to look after stuff. If it comes in a tube, it stays in the tube unless i need to take it out for pictures for here or my Instagram. If it's in a capsule or slab, it stays in there. I'm far too likely to end up launching it across the room trying to prise open those ait-tites. I do have some coin flips i use for my gold if it doesn't arrive in one when i purchase. If i did get any silver not in anything at all, I'd probably stick it in a flip or a zip lock bag if it's a bar as well. The only thing i keep loose is my pre decimal silver as i figure it's been rattling around in change for over 100 years in some case, me having it in a box isn't going to do any more damage. At the end of the day though, I'd say do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. It's your investment so if you want to show it extra love by putting it in a capsule, then that's perfectly fine. Just don't forget to factor in the cost (and remember if you sell it, you don't have to sell with the capsule, you can always reuse for other coins or sell them second hand like some people do with the mint tubes).

@MetalGerry There are a lot of UK members on here, but the US is pretty well represented, there is a specific sales thread for US and Canada, a pinned thread for gold deals in US and Canada and about 58 pages of members showing with their location as the US. There are a very large number of threads though where we all chip in about our love of shiny things. I've found a wealth of info on here, and for a lot of things, it doesn't matter where someone is if they are discussing differences in coins or highlighting things to look out for. We all ultimately get access to a lot of the same things, however i must admit to getting a little green with envy that you guys states side don't have to pay VAT on your silver!

Afraid i cant comment on buying in the US as I'm UK based, but welcome to the forum! 🙋‍♂️ I'm certain there will be some US members along in short order that will be able to offer some good advice.

I'm still buying, albeit slower than before. I think when you get to the average joe bullion stacker, buying naturally self limits. At the end of the day, it costs me more £ per ounce and i only have a certain number of £ free, therefore i can buy less gold. As @dicker said earlier, cost averaging is my friend too 😄 I am trying as best i can to dodge the particularly big spikes, but i think that the days of £1000 an ounce may be well and truly behind us. Silver i am now only buying either for gifts (as with a handful of Kookaburra's earlier this week). Or if there is something particularly pretty that i want to buy more just to look at than for any chance of a gain.

Took delivery of 10 of these lovely 2022 Kookaburra's this morning. Unfortunately i don't get to keep them all, but there should be some happy people when they open their Xmas prezzies.

Just taken delivery of these 2022 Kookaburras. Alas i wont be keeping most of them as they are Xmas gifts. But i may have "accidentally" over ordered as it was cheaper per coin to get 10 rather than 8 🤣 Here is a couple of closer pics of one of them

Definitely figure out whether you want bullion or numismatic or both. Also, make sure you understand a little about what condition you should be looking for if you go down either route. I'm pretty much pure bullion and will stack for weight. I have several pieces that are scuffed, scratched and toned in less than attractive ways. It doesn't affect their base metal value, but they would be a real shock if you opened your first envelope from a dealer and didn't know what to expect. As for what to start with, i started on silver as it has a lower bar of entry due to the lower price. However given the way things have moved in recent years with premiums and VAT, if i had to do it again in todays market, I'd probably start with sovereigns from a reputable dealer whilst i was finding my feet, then look to private sales for the best prices. I do still buy some silver, but mainly for gifts or the odd piece i buy purely because it's shiny and pretty for my own enjoyment, I'm unlikely to make a profit on it, but it will never be worthless.

For what it may be worth given its unfortunately small sample size, all my gold from RM has been absolutely lovely condition. Admittedly i only have bullion rather than any proofs, but it's held up fantastically. I think my oldest piece is from 1974.

My Maples are the worst, with the Phillies hot on their heals. My Brits have a little, but aren't too bad.

Dont worry, I'm looking to buy a few bits for xmas prezzies, so if your comment makes it go up, me confirming an order should bring it straight back down again! 🤣

As far as i can tell, mostly just because the BOE didn't raise rates. Everyone had positioned themselves with free capital to pile into other investments quickly if a rate rise happened (silver and gold had been showing signs of a bit of a drop for a few days before hand), when it didn't pan out that we were getting an interest rise, they stuffed the cash back into the nearest safe asset, i.e. gold.

Mines seen a fair bit more action that that one! 😂 Still very glad i never sent it for melt though. Much as i have sometimes been tempted to sometimes, i have resisted the urge to give it a clean! I didn't realise these could be so valuable, although i'd wager this one would grade a fair bit lower than MS64.