An introduction from the United States

[1881]

I was advised to introduce myself as a new member to this forum. I was born, raised and continue to live in Maryland on the east coast of the United States. Over the past few years I have had a serious amazon shopping addiction.

 

Recently, I began diverting the money I used to spend on amazon, as well as the money I used to waste on tobacco and eating out for lunch every day, to the purchase of Silver Britannias.

 

Purchasing silver satisfies my shopping itch and hopefully I will have something of value when I retire on top of my pension.

 

This week, I purchased my first gold as well- a well worn 1901 half sovereign. I will continue to buy at least a half sovereign in addition to the silver britannias every month.

 

 

[BaldyBob]

Welcome

 

I think most of us here, especially the Collectors have that addictive gene.

[ChrisSilver]

Welcome to the forum! I think buying precious metals instead of unnecessary stuff is a great way to save long term. Sometimes I think of all the crap I bought at some point and don't use any more, and if only I bought precious metals instead.

[KevinG]

Welcome.

[Danny-boy]

Welcome to the forum buddy.

I'm intrigued to meet a U.S. Britannia stacker.

May I ask a few questions?

Do you generally buy from Ebay or do you have other outlets that sell Brits?

How much do you pay for them over there?

What years are most sought after over the pond?

Finally, as a Brit collector you need to know that the online published mintages are incorrect. Correct BU britannia mintages are as follows:-

1998 - 88,909

1999 - 69,394

2000 - 81,301

2001 - 44,816

2002 - 36,543

2003 - 73,271

2004 - 57,000

2005 - 57,000

2006 - 50,300

2007 - 94,000

2008 - 100,000

2009 - 100,000

2010 - 129,086

2011 – 269,282

2012 – 361, 870

Those are figures direct from the Director of the Royal Mint Museum, but they don't seem to have been reflected on most sites as yet.

[1881]

I like the Britannias because it is not always the same design and they have a lower premium than the U.S. Silver Eagles. I have been using APMEX to buy 2015 Britannias and pay about 17% over spot. They ship much faster than some of the other dealers I have tried though.

I have also bought two 2003 Britannias off of eBay, because I love the engraving on that year. I paid 23 USD for one and 42 USD for the second. I think the 2003 and 2001 are the most popular on eBay. The designs on both are nice. The 2003 came back in stock a few times on APMEX that I've seen, but they were asking over 80 USD for them.

I've also decided on the Sovereign and Half Sovereign for my gold because it is fractional and therefore I can make more frequent purchases.

Those are my rational reasons. My other reasons are that one of my daughters is named Elizabeth and she loves to see a coin with Queen Elizabeth II on it. I'm also a huge fan of the old Jeremy Brett Sherlock TV series which contributes to my desire for Sovereigns.

[Stu]

Hi and welcome. Yes I am also enjoying diverting my spending itch into pm's which acts as savings instead of being wasted. Enjoy our forum.

[motorbikez]

Hi & welcome.

[doogs]

Welcome to the forum!

[ChrisSilver]

The 2003 came back in stock a few times on APMEX that I've seen, but they were asking over 80 USD for them.

 

APMEX have a huge variety of stock, and they are great for current year. The largest dealer in the world I believe, but some of their older coins are a little pricy sometimes and can usually find a deal elsewhere.

[Agpanda]

Welcome

[Mike1073]

Just joined forum myself and saw your interest in Britannia's, very similar situation, had always a desire to collect or spend on something and something one day for some reason ended up looking at Silver and Gold, the rest is history. The Britannia coin is what draws me the most, i love the privvy horse version which is a special line, and the new 2015 for me are far superior to the 2013 and 2014. 

[Guest]

You might want to think about a focus on proof Britannias. The mintages are much lower and the coins are a million times nicer.

This is particularly the case since 2013 when the design was standardized for the Bu edition.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mike1073]

Yes certainly on the agenda for future, enjoy your videos and thoughts.

[Cheng]

I am new to Silver Forum. I haven been buying silver during the last few years. Looking to sell some of my collection and found out the price offered to me by dealer is way off base. Any advice where can I sell them at 5 or 10% of what Internet dealers are selling. The delta between dealer will pay and will sell is 15%