JohnA1

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.

Zimbabwe space program when

Edinburgh have been amazing. 
They are assisting in every way you would expect for the claim and then beyond that too. 
They have been trying to get further information from their "Next to uselss" account manager (their words not mine).
Can't fault the assay office at all.
I have many questions on the faults of Royal Mail though. 

Sigma Metalytics Precious Metal Verifiers. Original £1050, Mini Pro £1700, Investor £1800, Pro £2300 + £695 External bridge. All units come with 3 Wands, brand new in the UK + 2 year UK warranty. Added information check out Backyard bullion on YouTube and Chards webpage. https://www.sigmametalytics.com/pmv-videos-improved . Distributor verification https://www.sigmametalytics.com/buy-from-distributor . Thanks Nick (www.trustimetrix.com)

Buy a boat, worked for me

I genuinely think silver will have its day. There has to be a point where a bean counter works out it’s cheaper to source refined pure silver from stackers rather than mining, shipping and refining. 

I have got a cracking solution to this wonderful thread.
how about two trading sub forums? Like the graded versus ungraded we have now.
Free Market Trades
Trades more or less as it is now. Prices rise and fall based on free market supply and demand.
Price-Controlled Forum
This is where prices are limited to spot + 40 %, it is acheived to limiting quantities to 10 oz per month maximum, with one exception for the chap who wants to offload the monster box.
The ability to trade is based on your nationality, ethnic origin and where you went on holiday in the rolling 12 month period, based on the stereotypes associated with that specific region. These stereotypes will be determined based on an annual forum poll.
 
there - everyone should be happy !

I agree with you to a certain extent and I definitely agree that VAT on silver, especially on legal tender from the Royal Mint, is an abomination. The mail carriers like Royal Mail and the insurance companies treat silver bullion as money so how is it we are paying VAT on money itself? It's like being charged a 20% fee for using the ATM

Good on those who don't pay tax. Tax is quite literally theft. Paying council tax makes you more of a criminal than someone selling silver without paying VAT. Why? Well because many councils invest in arms dealers like Lockheed Martin and BAE etc who make arms to drop on little kids in Yemen for example. So by paying your taxes you are complicit in that genocide! How about that for a morning wake up call! P.S screw the government!!!

There's no VAT on gold you muppet. Krugs are the most common modern gold coin and are subject to CGT which makes them less attractive than UK gold, hence they sell for spot
There is 20% VAT on silver. To evade the 20% is VAT fraud and carries serious penalties. Why should sellers who obey the law be punished by those who don't??? sour grapes 😂
I didn't say "immigration" either you twat. I said "MASS MIGRATION". Do you understand the difference between gold and silver, between immigration and mass migration?

For me, it is:
- A discipline
- Obviously sane if you look at the macro-economic picture
- Collected by nice people
If the bottom two change then I might stop.

The last TSF meetup:

Are we soliciting serious answers?
When you have enough in precious metals to cover all of your bills and outgoings for 5 years, including your dependants
Metals aren't supposed to be 100% of your investment portfolio. Some assets that produce yield (like stocks, bonds, ISAs, real estate) are essential unless you plan on selling your metals to fund your retirement

Sorry, I didn't understand the question.

Not going to lie, I'm addicted. Any price movement upwards or downwards is a bonus in equal measure.