# Silver- am I missing something?



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

The price of silver is very low right now ($15.85). (It hasn't been this low since late 2009, and then reached a high of $45 in 2011.) I've been buying face value old silver dimes and stashing them away. I like the feel of silver money versus paper money. OK, so my plan is that when and if silver goes up again - maybe in a few years, I will sell back 1/3 - 1/2 of my stash (depending on the price), use the profit to purchase other "hard" value items like water storage tanks, grain buckets, or whatever. As long as I hold back enough silver to maintain my original investment, it seems like this could be a good way to invest securely, build a hard cash reserve, and be able to buy prepping supplies for basically free. Am I missing something? This seems too easy.

PS: I am using cash to buy the coins and will get cash when I sell them.


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Gold and silver played the market. There was no room left for the next fool up option so the buying stopped the money moved to stocks. Not today not next week but some day it will do it all again . Remember Jimmy Carter and gold. And the Hunt Brothers and silver.
Real silver US coins I would just lock them away if I had any. Silver is to low now to sell.
Even brass and lead are coming down there goes my retirement fund.


----------



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Smitty901 said:


> Gold and silver played the market. There was no room left for the next fool up option so the buying stopped the money moved to stocks. Not today not next week but some day it will do it all again . Remember Jimmy Carter and gold. And the Hunt Brothers and silver.
> Real silver US coins I would just lock them away if I had any. Silver is to low now to sell.
> Even brass and lead are coming down there goes my retirement fund.


But it sure seems like the time to buy, and convert some of the paper into something more solid.


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

RNprepper said:


> But it sure seems like the time to buy, and convert some of the paper into something more solid.


 I am no investment advisor . But share cash that can buy Real silver coins in this market and sit on them. Yeck of a plan IMO. I have a box full of real sliver coin we picked up back before the Carter Gold run and Hunt brothers silver deal We never sold any just left them there . Someday we may wish to cash it in.
Silver at these prices in a form you can sell or trade anywhere any time . Money in the bank and much better rate of return. The problem with things like gold and silver it must be cash you can do with out. Good luck with your plan.


----------



## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

I am a very big believer in having some PMs for SHTF. More then you can carry is a waste though, and think about being on foot as a worst case. I am dead against investing in PMs because I just believe the powers that be manipulate the market place so the little guy can't win. The current price point is due to our dollars strength. Look at oil...$77/78 barrel. Remember everyone crying about inflation? Well oil and PMs are the same as in 09 now. 

When buying for SHTF it's about getting what you need. Price is relevant to what you can pay. If you avoided it at $45 congrats. I'd blow a $100 on 5 oz now if you could.


----------



## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

We have quite a bit of silver and some gold. Other than some commemorative John Galt coins I wanted to give our kids for Christmas last year, I have not bought any since 2008. In other words, if I were to sell it today, I would still be doubling my money. But we do not own PMs for our own use (other than the $10 face value in quarters I take with me when I travel). Even if SHTF happens, we would try to get by without using it. The reason I own it is for our grandkids.

Personally, I think it is still going to come down more. But that being said, if you do not own the amount you want to own, I would continue to buy a little bit at a time regardless of what the price does. In other words, if you have decided to spend about $200 per month on it, buy as much silver as you can for $200 each month until you own as many ounces as you set your goal for. Once a purchase is done, forget whatever you paid for it. Fretting over unrealized losses or celebrating unrealized gains is a fool's errand.

But that is just one man's opinion.


----------



## Suntzu (Sep 22, 2014)

The lowest it's been in 5 years is not a prediction of it going up during the next five years.
Potential growth without rational justification with market data isn't potential growth, its wishful thinking.
Buying, holding and selling all investments should be considered in terms of opportunity costs. When you make an investment you are essentially passing on every other stock, bond, commodity etc. in the entire world. Do _any_ of them have a higher expected return and/or a lower risk?

Suntzu - Professional Trader
Disclaimer: I am not licensed to provide financial advice.

Oh, and for SHTF... In a real SHTF, scenario, precious metals have almost zero value. You can't eat them, you can't farm or hunt with them, you can't defend yourself with them. In a SHTF senario, I'll trade you what you need for meat, corn, bullets, toilet paper, medicine, water, even information and books. But never precious metals. an oz of gold means nothing when surviving.


----------



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Suntzu said:


> The lowest it's been in 5 years is not a prediction of it going up during the next five years.
> Potential growth without rational justification with market data isn't potential growth, its wishful thinking.
> Buying, holding and selling all investments should be considered in terms of opportunity costs. When you make an investment you are essentially passing on every other stock, bond, commodity etc. in the entire world. Do _any_ of them have a higher expected return and/or a lower risk?
> 
> ...


True. But would you rather have silver coins or paper bills if the economy goes south?


----------



## tks (Oct 22, 2014)

Inor said:


> John Galt coins


Fist bumb on those!


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I keep plenty of one dollar bills at home. Once they are no longer accepted in trade, I can cut them in half and use them for TP. Remember silver can be melted and cast for bullets.


----------



## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

Two things.
Number one rule of investing. Buy low. Sell high.

please do some reading on bullion prices from 1982 through 2003. I was buying one troy ounce silver pieces in 2003 for 6.38

My guess is you will see 11 dollar silver this coming summer.

Proceed at your own risk.


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

paraquack said:


> I keep plenty of one dollar bills at home. Once they are no longer accepted in trade, I can cut them in half and use them for TP. Remember silver can be melted and cast for bullets.


Do you have a problem with werewolves?


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

I thought the idea behind buying silver was to stockpile a currency that is more stable than the dollar.

In Canada, we have Canadian Tire money, so I don't buy silver.(jk)


----------



## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

tinkerhell said:


> I thought the idea behind buying silver was to stockpile a currency that is more stable than the dollar.
> 
> In Canada, we have Canadian Tire money, so I don't buy silver.(jk)


You Canadians are pretty smart. You at least partially tie your currency to a basket of commodities (oil, gold, silver, poutine, etc.) I wish we would do that.


----------



## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

Ripon said:


> I am a very big believer in having some PMs for SHTF. More then you can carry is a waste though, and think about being on foot as a worst case. I am dead against investing in PMs because I just believe the powers that be manipulate the market place so the little guy can't win. The current price point is due to our dollars strength. Look at oil...$77/78 barrel. Remember everyone crying about inflation? Well oil and PMs are the same as in 09 now.
> 
> When buying for SHTF it's about getting what you need. Price is relevant to what you can pay. If you avoided it at $45 congrats. I'd blow a $100 on 5 oz now if you could.


I am sorry but your thinking is flat out wrong, logically if you should buy no more silver than you can carry you should buy no more food than you can carry, no more ammo than you can carry, and no more water than you can carry. Worst case you bury the silver in several caches and come back for it later if there is a later. prepping for the absolute worst case scenario requires nothing more than you can carry, but there is no guarantee it will be that bad. An economic collapse does not necessarily mean bands of marauding thugs or a completely worthless dollar, or only food being a good bartering item.


----------



## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

RNprepper said:


> The price of silver is very low right now ($15.85). (It hasn't been this low since late 2009, and then reached a high of $45 in 2011.) I've been buying face value old silver dimes and stashing them away. I like the feel of silver money versus paper money. OK, so my plan is that when and if silver goes up again - maybe in a few years, I will sell back 1/3 - 1/2 of my stash (depending on the price), use the profit to purchase other "hard" value items like water storage tanks, grain buckets, or whatever. As long as I hold back enough silver to maintain my original investment, it seems like this could be a good way to invest securely, build a hard cash reserve, and be able to buy prepping supplies for basically free. Am I missing something? This seems too easy.
> 
> PS: I am using cash to buy the coins and will get cash when I sell them.


Your not missing anything, this is exactly what I did when the price of gold/silver was sky high..... I bought hard preps and sold "some" of my gold/silver. This technically was free preps for me.


----------



## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

tinkerhell said:


> I thought the idea behind buying silver was to stockpile a currency that is more stable than the dollar.
> 
> In Canada, we have Canadian Tire money, so I don't buy silver.(jk)


We have the same thing in the South. Good hunting dogs too.


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

tinkerhell said:


> Do you have a problem with werewolves?


No, but I've always liked the William tell Overature.


----------



## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Suntzu said:


> Oh, and for SHTF... In a real SHTF, scenario, precious metals have almost zero value. You can't eat them, you can't farm or hunt with them, you can't defend yourself with them. In a SHTF senario, I'll trade you what you need for meat, corn, bullets, toilet paper, medicine, water, even information and books. But never *precious metals*. an oz of gold means nothing when surviving.


And here we go again...
here is the example AGAIN...

Suntzu needs antibiotics
Johnny has antibiotics and needs wheat
suntzu does not have wheat
Carl has wheat and needs 30-30 ammo
suntzu does not have 30-30 ammo
Fred has 30-30 ammo and needs some tomato seeds
Suntzu does not have tomato seeds

in a situation like this it would be nice to have a thing which many people recognized as having some intrinsic value.... The romans and other old cultures did not eat, farm with or use silver for arrow head... They used it as a place holder for value...

Americans still use it today...there are lots of people that buy and sell silver and most people know it has value....

what is funny is that even in the above quote.... suntzu uses the term " precious metals" because while he may want to fight against it..he too knows it has value...

it might be neglected during the first 90 days or even first 6 months... but at some point silver and gold will be used because something has to act as a VALUE PLACE HOLDER and we will never go back to fiat paper currency again


----------



## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

Silver can also be used as an antibiotic, or to keep milk good longer.


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

The precious metals I horde are almost always copper jacketed.

jimb 1972 got recipe for the silver antibiotic and never heard of preserving milk. Would love info, thanks.


----------



## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

paraquack said:


> The precious metals I horde are almost always copper jacketed.
> 
> jimb 1972 got recipe for the silver antibiotic and never heard of preserving milk. Would love info, thanks.


Throw a silver coin into the pitcher of milk and it will last longer than a pitcher of milk without. (I would wash it first personally) Apparently the silver inhibits the growth of the bacteria that sours milk.


----------



## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

OK, I've read all the comments. Thank you all. It's good to get different perspectives. I realize silver is not edible, but I think it does serve a purpose in a post SHTF world as society attempts to regain some kind of normalcy. I see silver as a long term prep - something more for sustainability rather than short term survival. I am prepping for the long haul, with multiple layers of redundancy in all areas. Silver provides another layer.


----------



## CrackPot (Nov 11, 2014)

I have been buying Silver. With the price as low as it has been (now back on the rise a little) I couldn't resist. Of all the DD scenarios, economic collapse is the most likely at me. If that happens the Dollar would be worth less, so the silver worth more.


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

While agree that silver or any PM has a value, if you were down to your last 2 weeks of food and you were willing to sell me some, which would you prefer? A chuck of silver or 20 rounds of ammo so you could go hunting. While I know it's a personal thing/preference, I feel that PM is for when things stabilize.


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

I had 2 great uncles that took free land after they returned from ww2. They hunted, trapped, and gardened.

Yet, they still needed a few hundred dollars each year to purchase items that the couldn't' grow,hunt, or trap.

It was a pretty short list, I'm sure my list would be longer so some form of barter preop or precious metal should be used to get me through to a cash crop, new world job,etc.

Ideally, I should try to anticipate what I need and prep for it, but what if I forget something...


----------



## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

While PM's may have trade value in a SHTF scenario, I look at them more as a way to carry your wealth through a currency crisis.


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Keep in mind not everything you do in our life is about SHTF. Life may just keep going with it's ups and downs bit pretty much hang on. Your must also live for a future that does not result in the end of the world as we know it. While I was not on the PM's bang wagon as it was paying the next fool up game with it this low a bit may pay off.
As always investment need to be weighed against what you can afford to, or are willing to lose. No madder what silver does short term it is hard to lose much buying this low if you can sit on it.
Some what a Safe bet it will come back up some.


----------



## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

paraquack said:


> While agree that silver or any PM has a value, if you were down to your last 2 weeks of food and you were willing to sell me some, which would you prefer? A chuck of silver or 20 rounds of ammo so you could go hunting. While I know it's a personal thing/preference, I feel that PM is for when things stabilize.


What if there 3 weeks of food left??? It is called a strawman argument.... But even if you only had two weeks of food left..you might also need toilet paper or something else that silver could buy.... YES - I agreee it will be better for a stable post SHTF economy//but most folks understand that silver has value.... after all they advertise it 125 times a day on radio, tv, magazines, newspaper, etc...

if there is anybody in american that does not know that silver has value...please raise your hand


----------



## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Smitty901 said:


> Keep in mind not everything you do in our life is about SHTF. Life may just keep going with it's ups and downs bit pretty much hang on. Your must also live for a future that does not result in the end of the world as we know it. While I was not on the PM's bang wagon as it was paying the next fool up game with it this low a bit may pay off.
> As always investment need to be weighed against what you can afford to, or are willing to lose. No madder what silver does short term it is hard to lose much buying this low if you can sit on it.
> Some what a Safe bet it will come back up some.


and unlike stock in many companies... you can look at the silver coins and feel them in your hand


----------



## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Maine-Marine said:


> and unlike stock in many companies... you can look at the silver coins and feel them in your hand


That's right. PM's can be held quietly, no taxes need be paid on them until sold (unlike a house), they cannot default (unlike a bond, regardless of how well intentioned the issuer is), they cannot go bankrupt (unlike a stock). They are one more level of diversification.


----------



## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> PM's can be held quietly, no taxes need be paid on them until sold (unlike a house), they cannot default (unlike a bond, regardless of how well intentioned the issuer is), they cannot go bankrupt (unlike a stock). They are just one more level of diversification.


Not the post of the week...BUT in the top 5.... Great post


----------



## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Sale is the best reason to own real silver coins. They are easy to buy and sell Privately and quietly


----------



## CrackPot (Nov 11, 2014)

It is only a matter of time before the next financial meltdown happens, and it has the potential to be bigger than 1930 and 2008. The Fed is already leveraged 77:1 (Bear Stearns was only leveraged 42:1 before the collapse of '08). So, if it's big enough then the only other bail-out candidate is the IMF and their hoped "world currency", the SDR (Special Drawing Rights). Should the dollar be replaced as the reserve currency (and all that takes is having oil being priced in something other than the dollar), then the dollar will plummet. SHTF scenario in the US.

At that point, I'll want to have as much silver as I could possibly afford.

Again, it is only a matter of time - and I believe that time is quickly approaching.


----------

