GOLD: 4 x 1/4oz VERSUS 1 x 1oz

[MrFreezerrr]

Hello collectors/stackers,

I’m curious what opinions/facts makes you personally choose option 1 above option 2. If you’re just stacking and loaded with cash I guess it’s doesn’t really matter. But let’s assume you can buy an average of 1/4oz per month or a 1oz every 4-5 months. And let’s assume you are a stacking collector to make it a little more “complicated”. You are not a flipper, but in it for the long run. I’m not talking about sovereigns, but .9999 pure coins.

4 x 1/4oz

• You can have 4 different artworks to behold, more diversity possible
• Collecting sets/series becomes possible
• Receive a coin for the collection each month
• When time comes to sell you have a bigger group of buyers to sell too (I assume), also if price goes to the moon 🙂

1 x 1oz

• Bigger artwork surface to enjoy details
• A really nice, hefty weight to hold
• Smaller premium when you buy/saved some money

So each choice has it’s advantages and mostly those advantages for choice 1 are the disadvantages for choice 2 and viceversa. I know this is rather a personal question and something that should be decided by yourself but I am curious to hear more advantages/downsides from people who have been collecting longtime or people who had to make the same choice. What would you do? Buy 4 months a 1/4oz and then switch to saving up cash 4 months to buy a 1oz or just stick with one of the two...

Thanks in advance for your intake on this matter!

 

[Smiler999]

I'd stick to the full oz personally, i like the feel of a lump of gold in my hand, and i can appreciate the effort that went in to it with the bigger coin

[Melon]

I'd say it depends on price. If both are available at the same premium then 1/4oz coins are a better buy. 

I only buy 1/4oz or less personally, but that's just my preference. 

[Xander]

I would mix them, 1oz then 4x 1/4 oz etc, etc.

[Tangomachine]

I'm doing both. Got sovereigns and half sovs and getting some 1oz brits next. If I had to save for 5 month to buy 1oz it wouldn't work it would get spent else where as I built it up

 

Some people reckon 1oz is harder to shift but it seems to sell easy enough to me 

[Tn21]

A bit of both with the premium % in mind, then buy with the lower premiums, or if there is not much difference then go for the 1/4ozs.

[Silverman2U]

3 hours ago, MrFreezerrr said:

Hello collectors/stackers,

I’m curious what opinions/facts makes you personally choose option 1 above option 2. If you’re just stacking and loaded with cash I guess it’s doesn’t really matter. But let’s assume you can buy an average of 1/4oz per month or a 1oz every 4-5 months. And let’s assume you are a stacking collector to make it a little more “complicated”. You are not a flipper, but in it for the long run. I’m not talking about sovereigns, but .9999 pure coins.

4 x 1/4oz

• You can have 4 different artworks to behold, more diversity possible
• Collecting sets/series becomes possible
• Receive a coin for the collection each month
• When time comes to sell you have a bigger group of buyers to sell too (I assume), also if price goes to the moon 🙂

1 x 1oz

• Bigger artwork surface to enjoy details
• A really nice, hefty weight to hold
• Smaller premium when you buy/saved some money

So each choice has it’s advantages and mostly those advantages for choice 1 are the disadvantages for choice 2 and viceversa. I know this is rather a personal question and something that should be decided by yourself but I am curious to hear more advantages/downsides from people who have been collecting longtime or people who had to make the same choice. What would you do? Buy 4 months a 1/4oz and then switch to saving up cash 4 months to buy a 1oz or just stick with one of the two...

Thanks in advance for your intake on this matter!

 

Just to all the above. I think it depends like you said on cash follow. Personally right now I would be rather stacking on the one ounce as like a decent coin to hold. There is nothing better than a nice solid couple of one ounce coins in the hand right now to make you sleep better at night!

 

[cornishrich]

Not a long term stacker by any means. I buy the coins because I like them for the design in any weight sovereign 1/4 1/2 or a 1oz. I guess buying 1oz bars is the cheapest way. There's an interesting post by one of the members 9 x 1kg and I think 34 or 36 1 oz of gold krugerrands proper baller lol

[HGr]

In 4 months the price could go up, and the 1oz could have costed you more than 4 sovs or whatever. Monthly is probably better for cost averaging. 

Plus if I didn't buy gold around payday, I would end up spending it all on silver bars. 

[MrFreezerrr]

As expected I see some diversity in the answers. Like I said, it’s also a personal choice.

I guess the ‘cost averaging’ @HGr brings up is also a valid point for choosing for a monthly buy. Furthermore if you are someone having trouble saving up the cash for months like @Tangomachine says, buying monthly would be a good and maybe only way to stack.

Taking notice of the premiums at the time of buying is always important imo.  But if premiums are about the same for 1oz and 4 x 1/4oz’s, what is the reason you would choose for the 4 x 1/4oz’s?@Melon and @Tn21

At the moment, me personally, I’m mixing them up 1/10, 1/4, 1 oz. But I always find myself in doubt when I have enough cash to buy 1oz. I always think ‘hmm or maybe I should buy 4 x 1/4oz for just a bit more money’. It’s a real struggle 😅 But I guess in the end any gold coin is better then none.

[Melon]

44 minutes ago, MrFreezerrr said:

As expected I see some diversity in the answers. Like I said, it’s also a personal choice.

I guess the ‘cost averaging’ @HGr brings up is also a valid point for choosing for a monthly buy. Furthermore if you are someone having trouble saving up the cash for months like @Tangomachine says, buying monthly would be a good and maybe only way to stack.

Taking notice of the premiums at the time of buying is always important imo.  But if premiums are about the same for 1oz and 4 x 1/4oz’s, what is the reason you would choose for the 4 x 1/4oz’s?@Melon and @Tn21

At the moment, me personally, I’m mixing them up 1/10, 1/4, 1 oz. But I always find myself in doubt when I have enough cash to buy 1oz. I always think ‘hmm or maybe I should buy 4 x 1/4oz for just a bit more money’. It’s a real struggle 😅 But I guess in the end any gold coin is better then none.

Premium is king, but if the premium is the same I’d choose 1/4oz as it’ll likely demand a greater premium when you sell it, gives greater flexibility, and you get 4 times as many coins 😄

[Smiler999]

Aye, but my ability to store a pile of stuff is limited so it's easier for me to stick to the 1 oz gold lol

[Tn21]

I would say the 1/4s if the premiums are the same just because I feel it may be slightly easier to liquidate.

[Sparrow]

I definitely prefer smaller coins.  The largest one I own is a double sovereign, and while the weight of a larger coin in your hand is undoubtedly satisfying, I have no intention of buying anything bigger than that that for the forseeable future. 

Three reasons really, - firstly I like to have variety in my collection/stack and by acquiring more, smaller coins I achieve greater variety than if I saved up for a 1oz coin, secondly to my mind it's more satisfying to have a pile of ten small coins than a smaller pile of say, three big ones.  And finally, from a practical standpoint, being UK based the gold sovereign is my preferred gold coin so that naturally lends to my focusing on the smaller coins than the big 1-oz coins.

[BSquared]

I find myself swinging both ways,  sometimes stacking and then switching back to design preference.  The "stacking" side of me says go with 1oz. govt. bullion and the lowest premium(but not bars).  Once you have one bullion design, stacking the same thing again get boring fast.   The "collecting" side of me focuses on sovereign or sovereign-type coins,  like $5 US Pre-33, sovereigns, old European Lire, Franc, Ducat, or South American 5 Peso or the equiv.  Lots of design choices there, reasonable premiums and designs to admire galore.

Switch it up!!

 

[KRO]

for me, whatever is available that attracts the lowest premium, but only coins, bars have no interest

only problem is you become a hoarder, rather than a stacker ,hate selling 
bought my first 4 sovereigns in 1965, from exchange and mart ,and still have them

[R33f]

Purely down to available funds for stacking so it's 1/4 and 1/10 for me, but therein lies much of the fun - hunting for a good premium when fractionals are going for way over spot with so many dealers; gradually planning the next purchase; slowly building the stack etc. Good to know that a fractional will always command some form of premium when sold on, so this acts as a bit of a hedge if I have to sell at an unadvantageous time for the spot gold price. That being said, would love to hold a tasty 1oz piece in my hand! 😂

[dicker]

I would say it is down to:

(1) What you can afford at the time

(2) Price of 1/4 vs a 1oz

 

If I could only afford 1/4 then I would simply go for Sov - which in my experience are generally closer to spot.

Best

Dicker

[Vacendak]

I got hooked on the Queen's Beasts silver first... then gold, but I managed to restrict myself to collecting only the 1/4 oz. Nice collection to look at in gold and silver.

As mentioned above 1/4 oz is more affordable even if whacked by the premium.

[Augustus1]

I am stacking all ,moving from silver to all gold , have sovs and 1 oz coins , I have proof sovs of special years 2005,2012, etc no other reason than  I like the designs , then more by accident than intent I started buying the1/4 oz gold beasts in proof form, I now am committed/ compelled no matter what the cost to completing the collection  but hope it will provide a return when required as a full set. time will tell

dean.m

[Robb]

I'm a premium hunter that buys fractional.   1/10, 1/4, and 1/2 ounce gold (coins only, no bars) typically bought for similar or same premium as a full oz.  I log every purchase, including the spot price/date/price paid and find that with patience, I can get some very good deals.   I don't have any 1 oz gold but do have some of those hockey puck sized 50 Peso restrikes 😉

Been looking for a Peru 100 Sols to add to the "big gold coin" collection..

[MrFreezerrr]

I see a few people who collect silver also started including gold in the collection and even making a full switch from silver to gold. Seems to me this is happening more and more. When I started stacking silver in the past, the biggest dissapointment for me were the milkspots that started appearing on my uncirculated coins...that was really f*ked up because it makes the coins unattractive and makes it all straight bullion I suppose. Since then my focus is more on gold...even if it narrows down my buying frequency and stack volume. I haven’t had any red spots with the gold so far, fingers crossed. I still buy silver from time to time, but only perth mint from now on.

[Cooldaddyfunk286]

11 hours ago, Augustus1 said:

I am stacking all ,moving from silver to all gold , have sovs and 1 oz coins , I have proof sovs of special years 2005,2012, etc no other reason than  I like the designs , then more by accident than intent I started buying the1/4 oz gold beasts in proof form, I now am committed/ compelled no matter what the cost to completing the collection  but hope it will provide a return when required as a full set. time will tell

dean.m

Do u need the dragon proof? I can put you in contact w a seller, lmk!!

[Stuntman]

I love the size and feel of the 1oz gold coins, so I would prefer to have those over the 1/4 oz coins.

But yes, the cost of a 1oz coin is pretty darn high.  Having 4 quarter ouncers for maybe 10% more cost than a single 1oz coin has its own appeal, especially if you want more coins and different designs for a given sum of money.

Perhaps the best approach would be mainly to buy the 1/4oz coins, and then if there's a particular design you really like - save up for that one in 1oz form as well.
For example - if you're collecting all 10 Queen's Beasts in 1/4oz size, maybe add your favourite design as a 1oz.

The Oriental Britannias are lovely coins and only come in 1oz gold, sadly.  My favourite is the 2018 version.

[Arongoldprog]

I'm a newbie too, just started stacking. My strategy is to treat my gold stack like I would my cash wallet i.e have a mix of  denominations  / weights for maximum flexibility. You wouldn't want to carry only £50 notes in your wallet, because it would be very inconvenient to cash a £50 for some milk and bread. Another advantage of having a range of weights is you cover a wider audience to sell too when it comes time to liquidate, you'll have something for everyone.

If I saw a 1/4 oz with a decent  premium I would buy, I wouldn't wait till I could afford the full 1oz because in 4 months the cost of 1 oz could be higher. Also, if 4 x 1/4 oz works out close to 1 oz I would go for the 1/4 oz's, I think that's just a better investment.

Curious, why are you discounting non pure coins like sovs?