Why Buy Silver?

by: Mike Pennington 

Why buy silver bullion indeed! The value of silver is on a steady increase and some even say that it will one day approach the same price as gold. This may or may not be the case but it is sure that, with the shortage of silver and the great demand for more supplies the current trend is sure to continue.

One of the best ways of buying silver is as bullion. Bullion is silver coins and silver bars. Currently these are easy to buy for most people and you can buy a respectable one kilo silver bar for not much more than the current spot price of silver.

Silver bullion can be classed as either pure silver coins or pure silver bars. In both types there are a variety of sizes and weights.

Coins are a good way to collect silver and, apart from the joys of just being a coin collector, there are some good investments to be made by buying certain silver coins. Usually one is looking for proof coins that are 99.99 percent pure silver. There is a premium to be paid for this, however, as the coins have to be struck and the mint, as well as any dealer if you are not dealing directly with the mint, will want to make a profit on the sale. When buying coins, please only buy coins graded by one of the top two grading services – either NGC or PCGS. There are other grading services that do not have consistent quality control and will adversely affect the sale of your coins later.

Coins are usually legal tender in the country for which they are intended so they tend to be tax free. Tax free in both in the purchase and in any subsequent sale. The exception would be a professional dealer of course.

Silver bars tend to be a bit cheaper provided you buy a reasonable sized bar. Buying a one ounce silver bar is likely to attract a handling charge or premium also out of proportion to the value of the silver in the bar. Buying a one or more kilo bar will reduce the premium dramatically. However there may be a question of tax when it comes to sell, particularly if you make a fabulous profit on the deal. One would be wise to consult with one’s financial advisor in such matters as each person’s economic situation is different. The biggest drawback to silver bars is that they are susceptible to fraudulent counterfiting. It is easy to drill holes in the bar, fill them with iron or steel and cap with silver. Only expensive assays can determine the true purity of the silver. So, please KNOW THE PERSON YOU BUY A SILVER BAR FROM.

The question then, ‘Why buy silver bullion?’ would seem to be answered in that silver seems to have an excellent future and it would be wise to take advantage of that. 

I am currently recommending purchase of the 2006 Silver Eagle 20^th Anniversary three coin set. It is rare and very popular since it commemorates the 2oth anniversary of the Silver Eagle. It’s a must for any Investment grade portfolio looking for high returns over the next 1-2 years.

This entry was posted on October 9, 2007 at 6:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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