Ushao

Firstly apologies for the extended downtime. It was much longer than expected as the forum has grown significantly in size recently. 

The work was taking too long, and as we are now in a position to be able to put the forum back online we have gone ahead and put the forum online again. Please note that there is still work going on in the background, and we will need to take the forum off line to finish the work (which we estimate will be sometime Sunday night but which should only last a few hours) 

You may also notice a 500 error issue again, if this happens we will restart the MySQL database. We currently believe that the spot price bar application is overloading the database. When we do the final move of files (likely will be sometime this Sunday night) we will not install the spot price bar application. We will be installing the spot price application on a separate test sever to see if that is indeed the cause of the 500 error issues, and also speaking with the developer of that particular application. 

Apologies in advance for the planned downtime this Sunday 9th May 2021, but the majority of the work should hopefully be behind us. 

Just a couple of pieces from Yorkshire Bullion.

Finally bought my own planet, and its not flat.

From Atkinsons mixed date sovs

Just arrived, 2oz mythical creatures antiqued coin minted to just 1000from the republic du tchad
 
 

Quite disappointed what I received today...
100oz Una and the Lion bar... bought it from silvergoldbull but it has a ugly scratch on it... don’t know what to do.. 😪

Haven't posted much but wanted to share the new 1oz gold 2021 rectangle dragon bar (far right) with his brothers and sisters (2018,2019 and 2020).

My BYB collection just keeps getting better... 115oz and counting  Thank you, @BackyardBullion

Quite surprised that this hasn't got much coverage but with my current focus on Ghanaian legal tender coins I stumbled across this beautiful gold note, "The Liberty Gold Cedi", the 1st major government in the world to issue a gold note using Aurum© technology created by Valaurum, the same company that create the Goldback notes.
In 2019, Ghana officially surpassed South Africa as the largest producer of gold on the African continent. The output of 4.8 million ounces of gold in Ghana surpassed the 4.2 million ounces produced in South Africa, the first time that a nation other than South Africa was the leading producer of gold on the continent. So to mark this they decided to issue these notes. They are only available in the US but I had to get a few. Paid an arm and a leg for them. There are 10,000 of them minted but a limited run in these presentation packs.

When you fill in the NGC form don’t worry too much about getting it perfect. If you don’t tick the right box they will spot this and amend for you. Just bear in mind if there are further fees that you are ready to pay them! Pop into the London office (make an appointment) and they can help you check through it. There are bound to be mistakes if this is your first time etc so just don’t be too worried!!
Long and short it needs to be an extra thick not oversized. So tick that box. The usual slabs are too thin and you would risk the coin rubbing against the inside of the slab.
Oh and don’t forget that it’s fair market value that is important NOT what you paid. So the 3G 2oz will be in the up to £2.5k category and the 5oz will be in the up to £7.5k category. 
Happy grading you lucky 3G owners!!

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

I received this gorgeous libertad  coin/bar. Never knew these even existed. Jumped at the chance when I saw it. A 1oz coin in a 3 oz bar. Mintage 5000. One to treasure. 

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

Detailed Trading Guide
 
The following guide is provided as an example of how a trade between members may be conducted on The Silver Forum. The guide contains an outline of a trade and an example of how it may generally be conducted and includes some suggestions regarding best buying and selling practices and other information related to trading.
This guide is primarily intended to help new members understand how to initiate and complete a purchase as a buyer from another member acting as seller in the Buy & Sell trade section of the forum. In addition it may also be referenced as a guide for a member conducting a sale.

As a member you are limited to creating one trade listing every thirty days. If a member wishes to increase the number of sales listings they are permitted to create, you may upgrade to a Premium Membership here
Upgrading to either a Silver, Gold, Platinum or Platinum PLUS Premium Membership provides a member with the ability to create unlimited trade listings and includes a whole host of other benefits such as access to premium trade listings three days earlier than all non-premium members. Premium listings are where the best deals are to be found. Purchasing a premium membership is a great way to support The Silver Forum. (Businesses need a Business Account available here)
Before reading the information contained in this guide please make sure you have read and understand the Quickstart Guide:
U.K Quickstart Guide
U.S.A & Canada Quickstart Guide
Please also ensure you have read and understand the forum rules, especially regarding trading and the risk of trading on The Silver Forum:
Forum Rules
Please pay attention to Section 7. Guidelines on Trading (Buying and Selling) and ensure you fully comprehend Section 7.4. Risk of Trading. It is essential that all new members read and understand this before trading on the forum.
Disclaimer: The following applies to all Members/Sellers on the forum. Members trade at their own risk. The Silver Forum does not vet any members/sellers on the forum and neither the founder @ChrisSilver nor the forum is liable for any loss(es) that may result from trades. The founder @ChrisSilver and The Silver Forum also can not mediate any trades, this is between the two parties to discuss and resolve any issues that they might have.
 
 
A quick summary of how a trade may be conducted on The Silver Forum

1. A member acting as seller lists an item in the Buy & Sell trade section with a price, postage options and photos. Interested members leave a comment on the listing and then a private message will be generally initiated by The Seller. Some listings will state, comments have priority over pm's, which means comment first for a place in the queue and The Seller will then send you a private message.

2. The terms of sale, total cost (item/s plus postage) and payment method will be discussed and agreed between The Buyer & The Seller via private message.

3. The Buyer makes payment and provides name and address.

4. The Seller confirms receipt of payment (best selling practice).

5. The Seller dispatches item and provides verification (best selling practice).

6. The Buyer receives item/s, fills bath with silver and/or gold and swims in their bullion like Scrooge McDuck.

7. The Buyer notifies The Seller that item/items have been received (best buying practice).

8. Members exchange trading feedback.

9. Trade is complete.

Please be aware that the steps provided are only a suggested example and it is entirely optional to follow them. The founder @ChrisSilver and The Silver Forum are not liable for the use or disuse of suggested guidance. Not all trades will be conducted in the exact manner as described in this guide but most will include similar steps in approximately the same order.
 
 
Detailed Trading Guide

1. Items listed by members on The Silver Forum can be found by clicking/hovering over the Buy & Sell tab and selecting the region or category relevant to you.

2. If a region is selected you will be presented with two sub-categories separately listing items (Ungraded) & (Graded Only). Ungraded contains listings for bars, medals, coins (Bullion, BU, Proof, Ungraded) & other non graded precious metals. Graded contains listings for precious metal items that have been graded and slabbed.

3. Now that you have selected Ungraded or Graded Only you will be presented with Page 1 of the trade listings for your selected sub-category. On the first page you will find pinned posts followed by all trade listings created by members of The Silver Forum.

4. There are 5 types of Trade Listings: For Sale, For Exchange, For Sale or Exchange, For Auction, Wanted.

If one of these tags is used on a listing by a top tier premium member, the tag will be followed with (by platinum member).

A tag is required for any item listed. We will discuss For Auction & Wanted listings later but for now we will only be concerned with conducting a trade for items tagged For Sale, For Exchange and For Sale or Exchange.
Listings tagged Completed, Withdrawn or Closed are no longer available. Please note that the Closed tag is only used when a topic is automatically closed or if it is manually closed by moderators and should not be used by members. Only use Completed and Withdrawn tags to end a listing you have created.

5. Trades for all listings tagged For Sale, For Exchange and For Sale or Exchange may be conducted in the same way.
Scroll through the listings until you find something you are interested in. Now that you have found a listing with an item/s that you would like to purchase you may wish to proceed as follows:
Leave a comment on the listing, stating your interest in the item/s listed and await a response from the member acting as Seller. A seller may have multiple items available on one listing, mention which one/s you have an interest in.
The seller will usually “like” your comment and/or send you a private message where the details and terms of the trade will be discussed. (The envelope icon at the top right of the page will display a notification if you have received a message)
Both members will agree upon the terms of the trade which will include the postage choice, payment method and total cost. You may also wish to verify expected dispatch time and clarify the intended measures a member will use to ensure the item/s are well packaged and protected. It is a good idea to establish that the seller can provide proof of postage. When agreeing terms, before payment is made, clarify who is responsible for any loss incurred in the unfortunate and unlikely event that a package is not received.
Once all terms have been agreed upon, the buyer will make payment to the member acting as seller. The seller will confirm the payment has been received. The buyer may wish to send a message to notify the seller that the payment has been sent. (A confirmation of payment is always to be expected from a seller)
Once payment has been received the seller will pack and ship your item/s. It is best selling practice for a member acting as seller to send a photograph of the postage receipt following dispatch and/or tracking information. Some sellers may also even include a photo of the package pre-dispatch. It is a good idea to confirm with the seller before-hand when agreeing upon the terms of the trade that they will send a photo of the postage receipt once your package has been dispatched.
Once you receive your item/s it is worth taking the time to notify the seller that the package has been received safely.
Now that payment has been made and item/s are received, both the buyer and the seller may exchange trading feedback. It is important to leave trading feedback for each trade completed, especially if the seller has provided a good service. The feedback system helps to facilitate a degree of safety and trust for members when seeking to purchase items from another member. If a member has received several positive feedback comments it is an indicator of how safe trading with them will be.
The trade is complete.
Please be aware that the steps provided are only a suggested example and it is entirely optional to follow them. The founder @ChrisSilver and The Silver Forum are not liable for the use or disuse of suggested guidance. Not all trades will be conducted in the exact manner as described in this guide but most will include similar steps in approximately the same order.
6. To leave Trading Feedback, click on a member’s user image to navigate to their profile page or click their name in a message thread.

Click the Trading Feedback tab and click the Add Feedback button

Select the role you adopted in the trade: The Buyer, The Seller or Trading.
Select whether your feedback is Positive or Negative and leave a Comment.
In the Topic field type the title of the trade listing that you interacted with to purchase, exchange or sell an item/s.

7. If you wish to conduct your own trade in the manner described above, assuming the role of The Seller, click the Start New Topic button to create your own listing. Please note that as a standard member you may only create one trade listing every thirty days. If a member wishes to increase the number of sales listings they are permitted to create, you may upgrade to a premium membership here.

8. Enter a name for your listing in the Title box, click the +Add Tag button in the Prefix box and choose For Sale, For Exchange, For Sale or Exchange.

9. Enter a full & detailed description including photographs, condition & price. You can use the Trade Listing Template provided as a pinned post at the top of the trade listing pages to fill the description box. Simply replace the example information with your own.


10. Wanted listings are created in the same manner as described above. When clicking the Start New Topic button you have the option to select the Wanted prefix. Choose a title for the item/s you are looking for, select the Wanted prefix and fill the description with information relevant to what you are seeking.

11. For Auction is the final type of trade listing you may engage with or create. The information provided in the description of a For Auction listing is the same as any For Sale, For Exchange, For Sale or Exchange listing with the addition of auction terms, a start/end date & time and includes a starting bid instead of a total item/s cost. Some auctions may have a reserve. If you wish to start your own auction it is recommended that you use the auction template provided as a pinned post at the top of the trade listing pages.

 
F.A.Q

1. Can I pay by paypal, what payment methods are accepted?
It depends on each individual seller and it is entirely the seller’s choice what methods of payment are accepted. Some members accept paypal friends & family payments. Paypal goods & services payments incur a fee for transactions, some may accept this method but will expect you to pay the fee. Some members may accept crypto payments. Most payments on The Silver Forum are made via bank transfer.
2. Do I pay for postage?
This is decided by the individual seller and the details will be described in the listing generally. If the listing says including postage then it’s included, the service for an included postage offer will be the seller’s choice. Most sellers do not include postage. Most listings will state the total cost of item/s plus postage of buyers choice and risk which is paid for by you the buyer. The service used is entirely your choice. If you use a postal service that is not insured you may be at risk of financial loss if the item is lost in transit.
3. Can I Contact a member about a trade listing directly in private?
Yes. If you are interested in an item/s listed in the Buy & Sell trade section you can contact a member directly via private message. Note that some listings will state that comments have priority over pm's, which means comment first for place in the queue and the seller will then send you a private message. On a listing with this term described it is best to follow the protocol if you want a chance to get the item/s.
4. What happens if I do not receive an item I purchased from another member?
In the unlikely and unfortunate event that an item purchased from another member is not received, the first steps to take will be to notify the member acting as seller and request a proof of postage if not already provided at the time of dispatch. If the member can demonstrate the item has been sent and it is clear that it has been lost in transit you could request that they communicate with the courier in order to identify if the package is lost or delayed. If it is lost then the seller will be able to claim a refund as long as the postage method chosen was insured and proof of postage retained. If the postage method chosen was not insured and the terms of the trade negotiated were that the buyer assumes all risk and liability if they choose a postal method that is not insured then your options will be limited. A seller may in this circumstance do all they can to aid you but they are under no obligation to do so, nor is the founder @ChrisSilver or The Silver Forum liable or responsible for item/s lost in transit. Ensure before any payment is made that it’s agreed that the seller can provide proof of postage to avoid issues if this situation were to arise.
5. What does it mean when a listing says the postage is of buyer’s choice and risk?
This means that if you the buyer choose the postal service and you choose a service that is not insured then the seller is not responsible for loss or damage. Ensure the terms agreed are clear before purchase is made. Although problems are unlikely, you may wish to choose an insured service if you wish to eliminate the possibility of an issue. Only you, the member acting as buyer are responsible for the choice made.
 
A final note on Trust
Making a bank transfer to someone who is essentially a stranger for an item/s unseen in person that one hopes will be shipped in good faith by an individual can be daunting in a world where we are used to ebay and paypal buyer protections and secure credit card transactions.
As individual members of The Silver Forum we find ourselves relying on community reputation, trading feedback and our own powers of discernment.
In my personal opinion @billysilver the manner in which trades are conducted on The Silver Forum is the best way to deal human to human, it is in accordance with our inherent nature. If trust can be developed and built between two humans trading, then that relationship can extend further.
Building relationships based on trust is a valuable and rare thing but certainly needed in the world we find ourselves living in today. Trust is especially needed between humans in general to be healthy and happy. We are social animals and we need to be able to trust one another, we are afforded an opportunity to do so here.
Reciprocal trust between humans is an incredibly powerful thing.
You can verify any member’s trading sales feedback by clicking a member name and viewing their profile. You can click the trading feedback tab on a member’s profile in order to view feedback for previous trades, this is an important part of instilling confidence when potentially engaging in a trade.
From a member’s profile you may also note the length of time a user has been active and you can view how many posts they have made and how many reputation points they have. Community Reputation points are built from members engaging a post made with a reaction(Like, Love etc).
Membership tier (silver, gold, platinum, platinum plus) can also be a factor to consider alongside reputation and trust but it's not a definitive reason to trust someone, just indicates how much someone has invested financially into the community.
Dependence on outside agents and financial protections are what we are used to generally as consumers, this dependence is not necessary.
How your interaction with an individual feels must certainly be one of the most important factors to pay attention to when trading. You are a capable human with your own mind. Trust your gut. Use your own powers of discernment and enjoy your stay at The Silver Forum.
Thank You
 
Disclaimer: The following applies to all Members/Sellers on the forum. Members trade at their own risk. The Silver Forum does not vet any members/sellers on the forum and neither the founder @ChrisSilver nor the forum is liable for any loss(es) that may result from trades. The founder @ChrisSilver and The Silver Forum also can not mediate any trades, this is between the two parties to discuss and resolve any issues that they might have.
All guidance contained within this document is suggested and is not mandatory instruction given by the founder @ChrisSilver or The Silver Forum.
 Neither the founder @ChrisSilver or The Silver Forum are responsible for suggested guidance followed or not followed based on information contained here in.
Opinions expressed are the personal opinions of @billysilver

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.

50p Silver Proof Decimal Day, photo quite underexposed. Sterling Silver.