Scruncher

2 & 3 but as you say Laurence can shed a light on it as an actual dealer.  
I would say awareness on it has really gone up since mid 2020 - normal people are asking me about metals & know nothing - its dangerous. 
A woman I bought 13kg of silver for independent bought more from BBP on the day it hit recent highs despite me telling her is will dump back to £15 by month end.  
And BBP. Gold has also run out with a lot of them. 
I am in a freedom group and a lot of them have started looking at Silver, as the cracks in the banking system are now looking very real. 
The Guilt market & pivot from the bank of england also adds to this. 

2020 Must have been the catalyst as it diverted a lot of peoples attention to metals when Buffet bought it and it skyrocketed. 
My guess if people loaded up on the lows last year and this year .
with supply costs on the mining front rocketing up with fuel and energy my guess is they have slowed down production & its starting to catch up.  

OR the mints are deliberately limiting supply  
If its the same funeral director that I know he is being might brave standing up to what he has witnessed on his benches (pulling tagliatelle clots out of veins from young heart attack victims) & the c**p he went along with at the start of 2020 with dressing up like it was a nuclear fall out area! a lot of people are following him world wide even some of the key news whistle blowers. I dont really focus much on all that now. He feels guilty for playing his part in all this mess. 

I was just doing the school run & listened to someone that had gone to a covid clinic and everyone including her are really ill.
You cant make this up can you, bet she gets her next booster too. We will see a shock event & turn around on that front by 2024 I think & a lot of very angry people!