ashr

Thanks I've looked at those stats previously and have thought about collecting gold too - I just feel as an absolute beginner, silver would be the stepping stone onto gold.

I'd probably alternate between buying a half sovereign and a batch of 4-6 silver coins each time you want to buy.
You have the best chance of getting your money back easily with a half sov if you have to sell at some point.
Silver coins need more looking after so I'd avoid premium silver in the beginning.

Have you thought about collecting any gold ? twenty years ago 1oz of gold was £185 today that same 1oz is £1320 (+ 610%)  , compared with silver twenty years ago 1oz was £2.69 and today that same 1oz is £17.88 ( + 480% ) 
Probably worth collecting both 👍 
 

It's a really interesting concept if you're interested in saving money / watching it grow / investing / etc... Silver is just going to be an extra avenue... I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole haha.
There's a few blogs on personal experiences, and I'm in a Facebook group with around 8,000 people who talk about it and give advise...
I only really started in April this year, and my S&S ISA has already gained 8% interest (much better than the 0.5% it was getting in the bank haha)

Had to Google this one. Is there any where I can go to read about personal experiences of what people are doing? If not you should definitely create a thread here.
I have always been a advocate of splitting your day up in to three. 8 hours work, 8 hours sleep, then 8 hours to make a difference or a impact for your future. 
Silver.. to be honest, the price was 9 dollars a ounce 100 years a go. Every other metal has reaped some kind of decent return apart from silver, will silver have its day? That's what we are all hoping for. 
As for which silver to buy. It's always personal preference, read the forum for a bit and decide what direction you want to go with, personally I like the old stuff, pre 1920s and 1947 because if I buy something shiny, it doesn't stay that way for long. Also it's simple as it follows spot (buy at spot, sell at spot) and not commonly faked. 
If you are interested in this fire movement, keep this part of your finances simple as it is a rabbit hole you go down that soaks up a lot of phone time. 
Good luck

I have investments in other areas too - Mainly a S&S ISA, LISA, and a bit of artwork, etc...
I'm just wanting a more physical alternative and I've always liked the idea of collecting coins.

No its not

Silver is (literally) a flipping pain in the backside to trade as it goes up and down all the time and never stay still. 
The price is controlled heavily, but it can and does break out from time to time - does not seem to last long though. 
I sold all my brits in the squeeze early this year and made a decent return.
It wont make you rich, but pays for holidays etc. Depends how much you have and how high the spot goes & buyer demand. 
I personally like gold for long term now. There is a lot of hype about silver moving to triple digits, but its not guaranteed. 

Personally if silver hits £30 an ounce I will start selling the stuff i bought at £15-16 an ounce. 
If it hits £50 its all going - for conversion to gold (or platinum if that under £700).
Or liquidate to cash, wait or invest elsewhere (assuming we are not in Venezuela territory). 

As I collector I would suggest buying more collectible bullion silver to start with. 
Pay a close eye on spot and premiums (which i believe are high now). 
I dont know a ton about proofs and stuff - but I like the Mexican & Scotsdale coins myself. 
Not exactly collectable but they sell fast and look stunning. I also like Perth mint. 
If you have a lot of non UK coins and decide to liquidate you will have to pay capital gains. 
This is free at the moment if you have UK tender coins up to £12K.
but unless we are in a war zone its highly unlikely the banks will let silver run that far. 

Best place to start is the Queen Beasts set IMO. You have a 2 oz set (bullion) and a 10oz set, both have boxes you can get. 
This is largely part of my retirement fund as i have a few sets now, but I wont hesitate to liquidate if silver spikes. 
Its a great all in one set for someone to buy who is looking at hedging fiat, especially with a box as its also collectable. 

Personally I only buy Brittanias when they are around £20 a coin (the cost from Europe now - excluding import tax). 
Stack gold little and often also - Sovereigns seem to be most liquid - Britannias better value.
I buy a few on the dips, its amazing how quickly they add up. Cost averaging has great compounding power. 

stick to UK legal tender and capital gains exempt stuff (Lunar Series is good apparently), buy second hand to minimise VAT.
Stay away from Ebay - buy on here.

Stay away from commemorative c**p - especially the crowns.
Bought a whole box full of them this year and quickly sold them (at a profit I might add). 
Good luck. 

Remember that the Royal Mint displays its prices without VAT so that £24 coin is actually closer to £29!