SilverGrade

Welcome aboard chum.
 
(Just a little shark-based humour to break the ice.  😁 )

G'Day and welcome.

Hello and welcome to The Silver Forum  

HI
I am a new member🥳 / coin hobbyist and have heard only good things about TSF on YouTube.
I aim to do some trading and learn more about coins and metals.
Here is my first purchase of 2022: 1/2 oz great white shark 2014 , Perth mint , 300,000 mintage
 
 

I have been buying modern coins from the RM for several years and it has peaked my interest in medieval era coins - maybe something a bit more affordable like groats and half groats.  Can anyone suggest a book or website to help me learn more about the subject?  I’m starting from the bottom as far as my knowledge base, so anything helps.  Thanks 

Thanks so much. Customer was over the moon and that's the best bit for me 

Hello everyone. @ChrisSIlver and I are very happy to announce the official release of the 2022 1 oz Silver Forum Bars!
There is a lot of information to disseminate so please bear with us, some of this might be relevant to different people. I have broken this post up into different sections for ease of reading. 
If you have any questions please feel free to ask here on this thread or via PM. 
First, here are some glamour shots of the 2022 1 oz forum bars!




Changes for 2022 
2022 does not see any design changes for the 1 oz Silver Forum Bars other than the year date stamp that forms part of the Assay Mark. This is now an "X" for 2022
We think these are by far and away the best iterations of the 1 oz forum bars to date and I am very honoured and privileged to continue to work with @ChrisSilver, The Silver Forum and ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL MEMBERS out there!
What are The Silver Forum Bars all about?
The Silver Forum hand poured products (in all their sizes) have been created as a way to draw the silver forum community together but also as a fundraising and brand awareness raising exercise. Some of the proceeds from the sales goes directly to the forum and helps greatly with running costs and keeping the forum the way we have become accustomed to. Silver Premium, Gold Premium and Platinum Premium and now platinum plus memberships go a long way to helping the running of the forum and to help keep the membership prices as low as practical, The Silver Forum Bars we make help a lot too. 
In addition you are supporting the Backyard Bullion brand and poured silver from us. This is our 6th year producing hand poured silver for the silver forum and it is because of the support we get from members on and off the silver forum that keeps us doing what we do and striving to do better every year. 
These bars are all hand poured, stamped and finished by myself meaning each and every bar is unique in some way. The weights will vary bar to bar (although none less than 1 ozt) and the cooling patterns of the silver will also be unique and different for each one. 
These bars are ready to be shipped immediately.
The bars are all finished and can be dispatched as early as the end of this week.
Hallmarking
As with all of my Hand Poured Silver products these bars have been Assay Tested and Hallmarked by the Edinburgh Assay Office. 
Hallmarking is a very good addition to any poured silver. It is your guarantee that these bars are indeed 999 fine silver and made by me in 2022.
Mintage
The mintage for 2022 will be: 250 bars
Previous years we had mintages were:
2017: 200
2018: 200
2019: 200
2020: 200
2021: 250
As with previous years members with bars from a preceding year have first right of refusal at the same serial number in the current year. 
Serial Number reservations & previous bar ownership
Questions regarding serial numbers and securing a bar are the most commonly asked questions I get. 
The rule of thumb has been and always will be if you own the previous years serial number you have first right of refusal for taking up the bar in 2022. 
For new members or people without a 2021 bar this might seem like you have no chance of getting one - there will always be people who do not/cannot take up their 2021 bars and as such there is always a batch of bars available for new members.
Please comment on this thread or private message me to get your name on the waiting list for a 2022 bar if you do not have one for 2021
Deadlines to secure bars
To claim your existing serial number and bar (if you own a 2021 bar) please contact me and confirm (and pay) before the end of April 2022. After this date we will not be able to guarantee your purchase and will offer these serial numbers out to members on the waiting list. 
Waiting list for new members/owners
If you would like to purchase a bar past experience has showed me that there will be a lot of demand. As such, we will be operating a waiting list which will ultimately end up in a random lottery to see if members will be allocated a bar. It is the fairest way to do this. 
We will be restricting this waiting list to 1 bar per member to start with to ensure as many different people get access to a bar as possible. 
To be placed on the waiting list, please comment on this thread and we will make sure you are added. 
We will not be contacting people on the waiting list until the first week of June to collect payment and distribute bars. 
Pricing and shipping details
Prices are as follows for the different Silver Forum membership levels
Standard or Non member price - £35 per bar
Silver member price - £34 per bar
Gold member price - £33 per bar
Platinum & Platinum Plus member price - £32 per bar
UK Postage & Packaging: +£3.50 via Royal Mail Signed for delivery or £8 Special Delivery
FREE POSTAGE on any orders from members with 3 or more bars (UK only) 
International postage: +£15 tracked and insured or £5 for standard airmail
How to buy & What to do
If you have a 2021 bar, get in touch and I will give you your total and away we go!
If you DO NOT have a 2021 bar, put your name on the waiting list!
A few notes on pricing
These bars are not cheap bullion. They are not advertised or sold as investment products but as unique collectable items.
Some of the proceeds from the sales of these bars goes directly to The Silver Forum and keeps it as cheap to use for all of us as possible
Every bar is UNIQUE. These bars are hand poured, hand stamped and polished by me. They take a lot of time and energy and equipment to create. These are premium hand poured silver products, not cheap bullion. They are a way to support the Backyard Bullion business, my brand and most importantly, The Silver Forum. As I said earlier, proceeds from the sale of these bars go towards the upkeep and running costs of this forum. This helps keep membership prices as low as possible for premium and gold premium members and ensures that standard members can still use this forum for free. 
The price also incorporates the Hallmarking costs, this includes postage of these bars to and from Edinburgh and the application of the hallmark.
Standard members - The difference in price is as a way for you to support the forum in a one off style payment rather than signing up for membership. But also please feel free to upgrade your membership to take advantage of the discounts available. 
Forum membership and pricing 
As you can see there are some very good savings to be had for upgrading your membership - so take a look at all of the benefits that are available for Premium Members today!
 
 
Payment Information
We can accept payment via PayPal, Banks Transfer or Credit/Debit card (Phone call will be required to complete the transaction)
If you would like to order a bar please PM or reply to this thread and we can link up with payment information. 

G'Day and welcome Peter.
Outside of Utah (other parts of the USA), IMO Goldbacks are only investment if you find a market for them, you spend the time and effort to import them, then can sell them into the secondary market for a profit.
On the other hand, they are a thing of beauty and why not have a few in your stack to hold, play with, show to friends and family etc. Would I frame a full set for hanging on the wall...yeah sure but I don't expect to be a non US owner of Goldbacks and expect those Goldbacks to fund my retirement in any way shape or form...that's what the bigger shiny blobs, bars and coins are for as part of the investments I make along the way in life.
I've toyed with buying a set in recent years cos they have lovely art work and are different. If I did pull the trigger, I'd be buying the full set....straight up, same way that some sovereign collectors want all the specific sov's issued in a particular year or mint etc.
If you do import some, pls start a thread with pics and your feedback of the notes..I'm sure members will be interested...you may even develop a market for them. 🙂 Good luck.
 
 
 

HI all I am a new member, I decided to join as i have been stacknig for a while now, but amm currently looking to buy some Goldbacks as an investment or currency of real value, I am just hoping that someone in the UK starts making them for this market, but till then will be looking for some US ones to import here, many thanks all and bless you, kind regards Peter

Hi
A 1 min look at their website and I couldn’t find:
- Address
- Company number
- Vat number
I see they take Amex……… does anyone know a bullion dealer that takes Amex?  I don’t.  
 
With so many good dealers in the U.K. why risk it.  
 
Best
Dicker

Hey chaps, just recently started investing in metals and I have come across this forum by chance, will probably make a good reference point for me to learn about the topic.
From the little I've seen, Gold is better then Silver due to VAT, still, I thought I'd start with Silver as it's cheap enough to get started and I'm mostly into the habit of getting in the regular coin, with the idea of buying the odd cold coin in between while I learn the process.
For the time being, just browsing.

Thank you all for a warm welcome. 
I love the forum, I am learning a lot from you guys. 👍🏻

Welcome on this great forum Paul, it will be a place were you will learn a lot more about collecting and stacking !
Best greeting from Belgium,
Paul.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome on this great forum, it will be a place were you will learn a lot more about collecting and stacking !
I think many people found this forum, by BYB, love his videos !

Welcome to the forum. Ideally you want to pay as close to the (fluctuating) spot price as you can. 
The issue you'll realise is that VAT is added on to buying these coins when you buy so you might see £22 on the website then go to checkout it has jumped up 20% due to this. 
Equally buying from abroad and having delivered to UK customs will hold your package until you pay the VAT that is due (along with an additional customs fee so likely to cost more all up) 
Buying on the forum and second hand market there is no VAT added and through the forum no fees for sellers like online auction sites, so it is probably going to be your best bet.
With that said sometimes get offers that can be attractive. This dealer has been shared in the 'silver deals' forum section. 
https://tavexbullion.co.uk/silver/1-oz-british-britannia-silver-coin-tavex-uk-london/
Otherwise keep an eye on the sales section of the forum and just observe for a few weeks until you get a feel for prices and decide what the going rate is. 👍🏽

Hey everyone, I’m new to stacking silver bullion coins and was wondering what is a good price to pay for silver Britannias in the UK?

Had these for years, belonged to my Grandmother so I presume they date from early 1900's perhaps earlier??
No marks on them whatsoever and have been unable to find any the same online to date them.
Any thoughts?

The hallmark is on the side of the coin with a jubilee engraving I bought them as a job lot along with some britannia coins some ingots and 1/2 toz liberty coins. Thanks for your help it's appreciated

Welcome!

Thanks!!😄

Hi all,
I've known about the forum for some time, but didn't create an account until recently. I'm a stacker since about five years. I'm a pure stacker (no interest in collecting). I stack gold and silver (no interest in other precious metals, like plutonium, rhododendron, etc. 😀). This is because unlike gold and silver, other precious metals are not monetary metals, and I do see gold and silver as money. Connected to this belief is also my exclusive focus on coins (no interest in bars, spoons, etc.).
My favourite coins are Krugerrands, Maple Leafs, Philharmonics, and Kangaroos. These four coins, in both gold and silver, is what I focus on in my stacking. They are among the most popular and well-known bullion coins in the world, and usually have low premiums. Focussing on these coins also gives my stack a nice geographical diversity in that they come from four very different parts of the world: Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania respectively. I think this makes for a globally viable stack.
When it comes to gold I like fractional coins. 1/2 oz and 1/4 oz are my favourite sizes despite the somewhat higher premiums these sizes carry compared to the full ounce coins. A full ounce is a lot of money for me to put into gold at any one particular time, but the most important reason is that I want to have a barter friendly stack and smaller gold coins (and silver) seem more suitable for barter situations. My “exit strategy” is to exchange my coins directly for goods and services (without ever selling them back for fiat currency) in the far future or sooner if there ever is a crisis.
I have an auction up at the moment, I’m selling five Silver Britannias with Monkey Privy Mark on Rim. I got over these accidentally, and since they are not really my cup of tea I hope they will find a better home. Check it out:
https://www.thesilverforum.com/topic/59390-lot-of-5-silver-britannias-with-monkey-privy-mark-on-rim/#comment-623976

Hi all,
Quite new to the gold scene, just wondering if there is anything similar int he UK to the Karatbars Cashgold? Or any UK based sellers? I know theyre not that great value but seem great for collecting and/or gifts. Seems to be plenty of them about internationally but surely some UK sellers can see a market for overpriced 0.1g bars?
Cheers for any help!

Welcome on this great forum, it will be a place were you will learn a lot more about collecting and stacking !
I remember those 1/2 ounce white sharks coins, I bought a tube of them on release, loved the serie !

You are right! They are great collector items (ponzi memorabilia) and they usually sell quick and recover the premium in my experience. This forum will probably be the best place to buy.