JohnA1

Thanks for clearing this up, I was mainly confused about this. I had to verify my purchase by showing ID/Proof of address, so was wondering where and why this information is required. 

Also note the inflation adjusted figures mentioned in the article are 'official' CPI, far from the real ones.
It is very undervalued, over 20x compared to the 1980s high

That's nothing mate I lost ALL my gold AND silver in a boating accident. Terrible shame 😞

Totally  agree.
I felt nervous and had nightmares 😄 even for stuff from Royal Mint or BBP. You never know, people make mistakes, good fakes can sneak through and you could end up with a lemon.
Depending where you live, see if you can find someone experienced/equipped to verify anything you might feel uneasy about.
If you have several coins of the same kind, then it's easier as they all should be weighing the same, dimensions and magnetic properties identical etc.

Also note the inflation adjusted figures mentioned in the article are 'official' CPI, far from the real ones.
It is very undervalued, over 20x compared to the 1980s high

Also note the inflation adjusted figures mentioned in the article are 'official' CPI, far from the real ones.
It is very undervalued, over 20x compared to the 1980s high

Also note the inflation adjusted figures mentioned in the article are 'official' CPI, far from the real ones.
It is very undervalued, over 20x compared to the 1980s high

Oh, silver.... That Schizophrenic little loveable cow. Sigh....
£22.48

 

Climate change, Inclusivity and Diversity

Climate change, Inclusivity and Diversity

Good price, eh!

Totally  agree.
I felt nervous and had nightmares 😄 even for stuff from Royal Mint or BBP. You never know, people make mistakes, good fakes can sneak through and you could end up with a lemon.
Depending where you live, see if you can find someone experienced/equipped to verify anything you might feel uneasy about.
If you have several coins of the same kind, then it's easier as they all should be weighing the same, dimensions and magnetic properties identical etc.

Totally  agree.
I felt nervous and had nightmares 😄 even for stuff from Royal Mint or BBP. You never know, people make mistakes, good fakes can sneak through and you could end up with a lemon.
Depending where you live, see if you can find someone experienced/equipped to verify anything you might feel uneasy about.
If you have several coins of the same kind, then it's easier as they all should be weighing the same, dimensions and magnetic properties identical etc.

One of the best purchases I ever made... I was living in constant "fear" buying gold from dealers and forum members until I got mine. No amount of dunking coins in water could convince me otherwise  
I bought my sigma in Dec 2021 when it cost approx. 90% spot at that time
Today you could buy one here for only 50% spot - it's a no-brainer! Worry less about the (potentially unsafe) more gold you could buy and focus on the less-stressful fully-tested stack.
 

Is there a reason you have started to worry?
There are fake sovereigns out there but they are thin on the ground and dealers will spot the majority that pass through their hands and they will just go in the melting pot
A lot of new stackers get the same concern at some point or another, I did myself.  These days I do not worry about it at all and I would not buy a sigma as I would rather spend the money on more gold.  I do not buy US coins as they are faked quite widely.  I also do not buy bars from places like the perth mint as again a lot of fakes.  But every sovereign I know of that is a fake is still made of gold, and generally at least 21ct but sometimes up to 23ct gold.  If you get a fake, just weight it in.  You may lost a few quid but at the moment with stuff selling at spot the loss would be tiny.
I weigh my coins on some scales that cost me £25 off Amazon, if you get some just make sure you can calibrate them.  I buy older coins mostly so they can be slightly underweight but I know the tolerance and generally know roughly what a coin is going to come out to just based on the wear.  I have some precision callipers too but rarely ever use them, I think maybe 3 times in the years I have had them.  You can also do a gravity test with a jug of water and some scales for an extra check.
Regarding ATS, they are reputable and can be reasonably priced.  No dealer is infallible though, so always worth doing your own due diligence 

Acid? Nooooooo🫣
 

ATS should not be a problem - I have had no problem with them.
That said, I check carefully whatever I buy.  

Hi everyone,
Just testing some recently purchased tubes of silver Britainnias and they all pass the weight test (31.19g-31.25g), pass the 99.9% purity test on the Sigma PMV and pass the magnet test and the width check (as they all fit into regular Britannia tubes and the STEALTH laser-cut MDF card). However, when having a stack of 25x 2017, 2021 and 2024 next to each other, the 2017 seems to be taller by as much as a whole coin, with the 2021 coming next and the 2024 the shortest. Any idea why these 2017 ones seem thicker? Raised rims? Any ideas would be much appreciated😶‍🌫️

If somebody has a stack of 2111 Britannias, I have other questions!

This is the reason why the taller Britannia silver 1oz coin tubes can accommodate up to 26 coins.  

Fantastic article, full of wisdom and technical insight (not!) - alchemy dreams recap for the 21st century.
I'll save it next to the 'gold asteroid' meteor Elon Musk was going to mine, crypto-dudes were all certain gold was a dead duck back then.
Or the vast gold reserves discovered in Africa less than a year ago. All such distractions totally fogotten now..
As seen on Twilight Zone season 2 episode 24, "The Rip Van Winkle Caper"
 

Sovereign is someone standing on his feet, a ruler - even of one's fate
Fraction of a sovereign is...just not sovereign, is it?🧐

Sovereign is someone standing on his feet, a ruler - even of one's fate
Fraction of a sovereign is...just not sovereign, is it?🧐

We've seen a huge downward shift in premiums. Sovereigns only selling below spot or at a push, at spot. Ounces only selling significantly below spot, like 97%. Only things enjoying a premium are 1/10 oz and smaller but these are not flying. Sovereigns still seem to be king as long as they are priced right. 
But as this new level for gold settles in, if it does, these premiums (premia?) are surely not sustainable

Exactly. Not only out of the system, it is legal tender in the country, CGT exempt at the time of purchase. But the plebeian mindset is paramount, the belief that you 'owe' tax at every move, just like a slave. Oooh, I need to make sure I pay me taxes. Like it's a divine obligation to Karma, not  a subsidiary of the Crown Corporation..
The 'ruling' class deals with no such bull, they stuff everything of value into a private trust within a trust and then just change the beneficiary names. No parasites involved.