So, ive just started stacking....

[AaaGee]

As per title. A few months ago a friend of mine told me that he had started buying 1oz silver Britannia coins as an investment.

So shortly after i decided to do the same.A mid 40s average bloke with average earnings.

So far i have 30oz of brits, all 2021 & 2022.

2x 1/4oz gold, 1x 1/10 brit and a couple of 1g bars. 

The plan is to keep buying in small amounts for the next 15 to 20 odd years to help towards our retirement.

To be honest, i cant afford to buy big due to lifes expenses. Little and often works for me.

All purchased from Bullion By Post. Purely because what turns up is what ive paid for. Ive been browsing on here for a little while now and seen other vendors you use who maybe cheaper but still unsure who to trust.

Also im struggling with variety.  I dont want to buy any fakes which is keeping me down the brit path. But looking on the pictures only thread on here i see some of you really go to town on weights and variety. How do you know youve bought legitimately?

I haven't really got a set amount i buy a month. More a case of buying whilst i can and not when i cant.

Are these rarer 1oz coins with pandas and other animals etc that are more than the price for weight worth buying as an investment? 

I do like the idea of at some point buying a 500g or kilo bar of silver but with the price they cost wouldn't it be better to put that sum of money into gold?

See, total beginner lol.

As a small time collector, is it better to buy 4x 1/4s than 1ozs in gold as will be easier to sell in the future? Although the initial outlay is slightly more.

As i sead, im investing for the future just to add to the retirement pot if and when it happens.

Wont be selling any whatever the prices do untill then unless i have a real personal financial crisis.

It seems like a bullet proof plan to me but ive had many of those before.

 

Although youve probably read threads like this a million times before is like your opinions on what ive written as ive gone into this pretty blind. Only clinging onto the fact that in selling in 15 to 20 years i shouldn't loose.

 

Thanks 

AaaGee

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2022 by AaaGee

[modofantasma]

9 minutes ago, AaaGee said:

As per title. A few months ago a friend of mine told me that he had started buying 1oz silver Britannia coins as an investment.

So shortly after i decided to do the same.A mid 40s average bloke with average earnings.

So far i have 30oz of brits, all 2021 & 2022.

2x 1/4oz gold, 1x 1/10 brit and a couple of 1g bars. 

The plan is to keep buying in small amounts for the next 15 to 20 odd years to help towards our retirement.

To be honest, i cant afford to buy big due to lifes expenses. Little and often works for me.

All purchased from Bullion By Post. Purely because what turns up is what ive paid for. Ive been browsing on here for a little while now and seen other vendors you use who maybe cheaper but still unsure who to trust.

Also im struggling with variety.  I dont want to buy any fakes which is keeping me down the brit path. But looking on the pictures only thread on here i see some of you really go to town on weights and variety. How do you know youve bought legitimately?

I haven't really got a set amount i buy a month. More a case of buying whilst i can and not when i cant.

Are these rarer 1oz coins with pandas and other animals etc that are more than the price for weight worth buying as an investment? 

I do like the idea of at some point buying a 500g or kilo bar of silver but with the price they cost wouldn't it be better to put that sum of money into gold?

See, total beginner lol.

As a small time collector, is it better to buy 4x 1/4s than 1ozs in gold as will be easier to sell in the future? Although the initial outlay is slightly more.

As i sead, im investing for the future just to add to the retirement pot if and when it happens.

Wont be selling any whatever the prices do untill then unless i have a real personal financial crisis.

It seems like a bullet proof plan to me but ive had many of those before.

 

Although youve probably read threads like this a million times before is like your opinions on what ive written as ive gone into this pretty blind. Only clinging onto the fact that in selling in 15 to 20 years i shouldn't loose.

 

Thanks 

AaaGee

You'll have a far easier time selling Sovs and Brits than larger gold bars, the smaller pieces eg 1g and 10th oz do come with pretty high premiums which I'd avoid if possible and just keep buying the best value sovs/ half sovs/ quarter oz brits/ 1 oz brits from which ever dealer is cheapest.

Once you've got a feel for the coins that you know to be genuine you could get a bit more adventurous on the 2nd hand market (for example reputable sellers on here) but I'd rather pay a few quid more on a sov than risk buying from a new seller. 

The variety you see is more the hobby/ collector side of people coming through, if selling to a dealer you'll probably get very very similar prices for a 1 oz brit/ panda/ dragon/ etc despite paying varying prices to acquire them. The odd coins do end up commanding a higher premium if you can afford to take the time on the 2nd hand market when the time comes. 

[Orpster]

For gold I would recommend sovereigns over 24k gold, they are always very easy to liquidate.

Dealers I would recommend:  Atkinsons, Chards & Britannia Coins - I rarely use Bullion by Post as they tend to be more expensive.  Atkinsons are my personal favourite but they are local to me.  Them and Chards are very similar on price but I use my credit card to buy for security and chards only take debit cards, though I will use them occasionally if their price is too good to resist.  I see you are a silver member so the compare price tool on here is open to you, it does not include every dealer but is a great place to check prices.

 

[darkninja1985]

I'm pretty new to stacking myself, I had started during the pandemic as I wanted to see an alternative to stocks etc. 

I started out with silver 1oz Brits, I also got a few from other countries just to see what they were like. Then I ventured into sovs and I've pretty much stuck with those in case I ever needed to sell. I got 1/10 gold from various countries like eagles, maples etc I only got one of each just to see what they were like.

So as a relatively new stacker myself I would say go with the Sovs, as mentioned before these are easier to liquidate if ever needed. Like you I try to buy as and when I can, at the beginning I was a little addicted to this so I've learnt to slow down and buy only when I can.

[AaaGee]

Thanks for your replies.

Been looking at sovereign coins but they are 915 fineness instead of 999

Thats what was putting me off. I thought 999 was what i needed to go for.

[sixgun]

Buying small and often is a good way forward. You see something you like at a decent price and get it. Be mindful of postage costs - a single silver coin for example will work out expensive b/c of postage. Remember if you don't get it registered post then it isn't insured.

Value wise gold is better value in the UK. The best value is usually sovereigns. They seem expensive and you get more weight for your money with silver so when you begin silver seems to be a better idea. The price of silver is usually quite a bit higher than spot. That isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as you can sell with the same sort of premium. Your best value with usually come on The Silver Forum. Look at the trading reputation of the seller. The longer standing people here are all good guys in my experience. 
If you sell back to a dealer you will not get as good a price as if you sell here.

It might be worth becomes a premium member - silver level - you will be able to see items for sale quicker. If you are just buy a few coins perhaps it is not worth it but if you want to buy more and regularly it could save you money.

Do not buy on ebay - there is a thread about the scam artists on ebay - there are lots of them selling stuff that looks ok to the novice and you could end up getting conned.

Edited July 19, 2022 by sixgun

[LawrenceChard]

2 hours ago, AaaGee said:

As per title. A few months ago a friend of mine told me that he had started buying 1oz silver Britannia coins as an investment.

So shortly after i decided to do the same.A mid 40s average bloke with average earnings.

So far i have 30oz of brits, all 2021 & 2022.

2x 1/4oz gold, 1x 1/10 brit and a couple of 1g bars. 

The plan is to keep buying in small amounts for the next 15 to 20 odd years to help towards our retirement.

To be honest, i cant afford to buy big due to lifes expenses. Little and often works for me.

All purchased from Bullion By Post. Purely because what turns up is what ive paid for. Ive been browsing on here for a little while now and seen other vendors you use who maybe cheaper but still unsure who to trust.

Also im struggling with variety.  I dont want to buy any fakes which is keeping me down the brit path. But looking on the pictures only thread on here i see some of you really go to town on weights and variety. How do you know youve bought legitimately?

I haven't really got a set amount i buy a month. More a case of buying whilst i can and not when i cant.

Are these rarer 1oz coins with pandas and other animals etc that are more than the price for weight worth buying as an investment? 

I do like the idea of at some point buying a 500g or kilo bar of silver but with the price they cost wouldn't it be better to put that sum of money into gold?

See, total beginner lol.

As a small time collector, is it better to buy 4x 1/4s than 1ozs in gold as will be easier to sell in the future? Although the initial outlay is slightly more.

As i sead, im investing for the future just to add to the retirement pot if and when it happens.

Wont be selling any whatever the prices do untill then unless i have a real personal financial crisis.

It seems like a bullet proof plan to me but ive had many of those before.

Although youve probably read threads like this a million times before is like your opinions on what ive written as ive gone into this pretty blind. Only clinging onto the fact that in selling in 15 to 20 years i shouldn't loose.

Thanks 

AaaGee

 

This advice page:

https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/advice-guide-for-uk-bullion-investors/1041

Author: Lawrence Chard - Director and Expert Numismatist

Contains a condensed version of the bullion investment advice and more that I have been giving for half a century.

You probably bought from BbP because they buy Google Adwords, anf therefore appear in the first 2 or 3 results on Google, but as you probably know by now, they are more expensive than most.

1 hour ago, Orpster said:

For gold I would recommend sovereigns over 24k gold, they are always very easy to liquidate.

Dealers I would recommend:  Atkinsons, Chards & Britannia Coins - I rarely use Bullion by Post as they tend to be more expensive.  Atkinsons are my personal favourite but they are local to me.  Them and Chards are very similar on price but I use my credit card to buy for security and chards only take debit cards, though I will use them occasionally if their price is too good to resist.  I see you are a silver member so the compare price tool on here is open to you, it does not include every dealer but is a great place to check prices.

 

One day, I may "convert" @Orpster.

Meanwhile, is there any other UK, or other, dealer who gives impartial advice for the benefit of the investor / stacker / collector?

Sure, many dealers now have an "advice" page, but many of them are aimed at getting you to buy from them, even or especially if they are flogging some overpriced or "premium" products.

😎

[LawrenceChard]

18 minutes ago, sixgun said:

Do not buy on ebay - there is a thread about the scam artists on ebay - there are lots of them selling stuff that looks ok to the novice and you could end up getting conned.

On the other hand, if you want to learn all about fakes, scams, and rip-offs, it is well worth studying ebay, but as @sixgun advises "Do not buy on ebay".

Although to be fair and balanced, there are some people who do buy on ebay with good results, but you do risk being scammed, and it must be take a lot of hard work and experience to actually get a bargain.

😎

[sixgun]

yes as @LawrenceChard says there are good deals on ebay BUT you need to have experience - by the sounds of it you don't have that experience, so steer clear. We have fun laughing at the scams on ebay but the thing is ebay isn't interested in policing the sellers - even when we report these criminals nothing happens - someone gets scammed.

So stick with the reputable dealers or reputable forum sellers. Then you will be ok.
Buy what you like when you see value. Just keep adding to your collection. Enjoy and learn. It is a great investment hobby. 
Also steer clear of boats in case you have a tragic boating accident - these do happen as some members know only too well 😞😞😞😞

Edited July 19, 2022 by sixgun

[LawrenceChard]

4 hours ago, AaaGee said:

Thanks for your replies.

Been looking at sovereign coins but they are 915 fineness instead of 999

Thats what was putting me off. I thought 999 was what i needed to go for.

Someone may have already correct you, but:

Modern sovereigns are 916.66 gold, not 915.

999 is good to remember in an emergency, but no practical benefit when comparing gold coins.

This may help:

https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/22-carat-gold-or-24-carat-gold-coins/71

and also this:

https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/0.999-gold/419

If there any any questions about investing in gold, silver, or precious metals, whether coins or bars, there is a 99.99% chance that we have already answered it thousands of times, and also put it in writing, free of charge, on our websites. 

😎

[Scootermuppet]

Welcome along @AaaGee - there's a wealth of knowledge here on the forum - I've been on for over a year, but every day is a school day still!

I started in a very similar way to you, with Silver 1oz coins, and have transitioned a lot of that to gold with the help & guidance of the members on here - and I'll echo the sentiment that getting a Premium membership pays for itself too...

Not only with savings on coins over other sources, but for the combined knowledge of the coin community here on the SIlver Forum ( @LawrenceChard 's sense of humour is usually worth a Silver membership, but don't tell him I said that 😅 )

Here's a link to a post I put up a while back when wondering what things to go for - the replies have proved useful to me, so hope you find them useful too.

Cheers,
Bob

[LemmyMcGregor]

6 hours ago, AaaGee said:

Thanks for your replies.

Been looking at sovereign coins but they are 915 fineness instead of 999

Thats what was putting me off. I thought 999 was what i needed to go for.

Personally I prefer Sovereign exactly because they are not 999, wish I could find an equivalent in sterling silver that is still produced.

[AaaGee]

Thanks again everyone.

Been looking around the forum and the choices are infinate (well other than how much money i/we have to spend).

Ive got lots to learn and a bit of time to do so before i make my next purchase as i ordered a coin yesterday.

@scootermuppet just folowed your link, thanks👍

Will look into becoming a premium member too.

AaaGee

 

Lemmy why avoid .999?

Edited July 19, 2022 by AaaGee

[Shep]

Lots of good advice above.

My two pence:

Ditch silver it’s a false economy. Forget “rare” modern 1oz silver coins unless you like watching them milk spot and lose the horrendous premium you may have paid on them.

Buy the lowest premium CGT free gold you can find from reputable sources. 22ct/24ct is irrelevant if you’re purely stacking to fund your retirement.

Edited July 19, 2022 by Shep

[dicker]

Sovereigns work very well.

Also with respect to the dealer route….balance the price with reliability. The cheapest may not be the best in terms of the service and coin condition.

best

Dicker

[Bigmarc]

36 minutes ago, AaaGee said:

why avoid .999?

I am in Lemmy's camp on this one. Anything 999 you really need to wear gloves to handle them. The more alloy that goes into gold the more hard wearing it is (jewelry making for example). As for silver, I do have some Britt's but they will be the first to go because as a individual I find it hard to maintain their condition. The risk is that you are buying new but selling as used when you may as well buy used and sell as used. Personally I like my pre 1920s UK currency, all sterling silver and people buy on weight not condition. As for how much gold and silver to stack, that's something you have to work out yourself with how you want to do it. Personally I stack 15 Oz of silver to every sovereign. 

On the forum you will get lots of different personal view but it's down to the individual. Nice post and welcome 

[AaaGee]

2 minutes ago, Bigmarc said:

I am in Lemmy's camp on this one. Anything 999 you really need to wear gloves to handle them. The more alloy that goes into gold the more hard wearing it is (jewelry making for example). As for silver, I do have some Britt's but they will be the first to go because as a individual I find it hard to maintain their condition. The risk is that you are buying new but selling as used when you may as well buy used and sell as used. Personally I like my pre 1920s UK currency, all sterling silver and people buy on weight not condition. As for how much gold and silver to stack, that's something you have to work out yourself with how you want to do it. Personally I stack 15 Oz of silver to every sovereign. 

On the forum you will get lots of different personal view but it's down to the individual. Nice post and welcome 

Ah, i didn't know that about 999. 

Ive got 4x1G pamps that are sealed. Also the 2x999 coins havnt been touched and the capsules haven't been opened.

Something learnt 🙂

 

[GoldDiggerDave]

sovereigns all day mate. 

[GoldStatue]

18 minutes ago, GoldDiggerDave said:

sovereigns all day mate. 

Definitely!

If you have your personal finances in order and want to get into metals I'd buy an empty sovereign tube and look to fill it up with 25 sovereigns, it's a good target to aim for.

Be careful of getting into the pretty proof coins, time and time again people lose money on them when they go to sell. That side of the coin industry is totally different to investing in bullion but is very appealing, psychologically it appeals to the collector/completist instinct but can turn into a bit of a money pit.

 

[LawrenceChard]

55 minutes ago, Bigmarc said:

The risk is that you are buying new but selling as used when you may as well buy used and sell as used.

Or do what ebayers do, buy as used and sell as new!

😎

[LawrenceChard]

48 minutes ago, GoldDiggerDave said:

sovereigns all day mate. 

... and double sovereigns all night!

😎

[Dakaras]

Lots of good advice, I'm similar in that I'm looking to hold long term, so if it's in the budget any gold coins I can get at spot that I like I scoop I'm only currently buying silver I like all my 1oz.silver coins and bars are different with a few exceptions ie Dragon coins from Perth mint I've the complete run to date and I have a soft spot for Kookaburra coins, otherwise it's hand poured stuff from BYB, Silver Angel,.MOX, Liquid Metals and St Bees, that's the collector urge in me.

I collect most fractional gold coins from Iranian to 1/10th Brits and 1/4 sovereigns.

All that said if I was purely stacking for a pension with no urge to collect them would be sovereigns all the way. 

[LemmyMcGregor]

3 hours ago, AaaGee said:

Lemmy why avoid .999?

BigMarc explained it perfectly, not much to add there, I genuinely appreciate the resilience.

Sovereign have also become my favourites as they are the best option for my pockets, silver has too much premium and VAT, 1oz gold is out of my pocket's range and, within my range, 1/10 or 1/4oz have too high a premium, whereas a Sovereign has the same low premium of a 1oz coin while the half sovereign still has a better premium than both 1/10 and 1/4.

[Foster88]

10 hours ago, LawrenceChard said:

Someone may have already correct you, but:

Modern sovereigns are 916.66 gold, not 915.

999 is good to remember in an emergency, but no practical benefit when comparing gold coins.

This may help:

https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/22-carat-gold-or-24-carat-gold-coins/71

and also this:

https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/0.999-gold/419

If there any any questions about investing in gold, silver, or precious metals, whether coins or bars, there is a 99.99% chance that we have already answered it thousands of times, and also put it in writing, free of charge, on our websites. 

😎

I scrolled this far because I knew@LawrenceChard would educate them on the correct gold content of a sovereign. 😆

On a serious note @AaaGee if you’re looking to buy gold coins in UK, sovereigns and gold Britannias are most preferred.

[Foster88]

7 hours ago, dicker said:

Sovereigns work very well.

Also with respect to the dealer route….balance the price with reliability. The cheapest may not be the best in terms of the service and coin condition.

best

Dicker

This is good advice.

Those who’ve bought from a particular bullion dealer have at times felt like Harry Potter when he received his Hogwarts letter.

I won’t name names, but many of you will know.