Silver Values

Why is Gold Worth so Much?

I have been asked this question a few times recently. Just now we are seeing gold that is topping $1200 an ounce, and of course the optimists are hoping for $1250, or even $1500! But we know that we cannot eat this shiny metal, it does not appear to cure cancer, and we certainly cannot burn it for heat. Is the value of gold a leftover from some more primitive times when it was valuable because it was shiny and scarce?

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Why Do PMs Cost So Much More Than Spot?

I have seen this question all over the internet: Just why are the prices for precious metal bullion so much higher than the spot price? When the silver metal, palladium, cannot move over $200 an ounce, palladium bullion coins on EBay reflect twice that price. And you would be lucky to find platinum bullion for less than a 30% markup, and it is not uncommon to see a 100% markup. But even the more common staple PMs like gold and silver do not seem to reflect the spot prices in their sales or Buy it Now prices on the most popular online auction: EBay.

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Well, those of us who hold a little bit of precious metals as insurance against a total meltdown of the US dollar and stock market are probably a bit relieved to see the price (as stated in US dollars) of gold rebound a bit. As of this writing, it is a hair over $900, and I’m not sure we believed we would see that price again soon. Oh, I know lots of us will argue that we’d rather hold strong dollars and see gold looking cheap, but if we can’t have that, well we have something…..

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It is an old saw in precious metals trading. Sell in May and Go Away. That was the traditional wisdom, and I even saw it repeated during the dip a couple of weeks ago. However, if you are still holding your stash, you may want to rethink that traditional wisdom this year.

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Is the Dollar Better Now?  

We keep looking for signs that the value of our good old US dollar is finding support, and maybe even rising. In such a case, it might be time to put our silver and gold investment on the back burner again, and jump into more “normal” investments.

 In other words, maybe we should just keep a small percentage of our savings in PMs like silver and gold as a hedge for the future, and go about our business as usual. However, many experts tell us that despite the way the news and government downplay the facts, we are not anything like close to being back to business as usual.

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The Declining Value of Your Dollar

I think that one thing illustrates the declining value of money very well. Simply look back at a point of time, and consider the amount of money took to purchase ordinary things that we still use every day. Then take a look at the amount of silver in $1 of US silver coins that actually circulated in currency. We have mentioned before that $1 of US silver coins contains .715 of an ounce of silver. So, for use as a standard, we shall call that a “standard” dollar, even though a quick look at the US silver coins calculator shows that today, that .715 ounces is worth about $12.23 of the coins or paper money you probably have in your pocket.

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Well, the beginning of the Year brought a mad rally in the PM market, just like in many other commodities. Now we are experiencing a pullback which can be pretty agonizing, but silver and gold are finding support well above anything we dreamed of a year ago.

I am reading some PM newbies who bought silver at $20 or gold at $1k who are really worried about their investment. Of course, most of us have been playing this game a long time, and we have added to stacks when silver was $6 and gold was $600, so we can average the price over that long term move, and losing a little here and there is no reason to panic when looking at long term gains.

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The Uses Of Silver

Many people who buy silver as traders or investers spend a lot of time thinking about the price of an ounce of silver. They only think about demand as it relates to that price of silver. They do not spend a lot of time thinking about why silver is in demand though.

Silver Jewelry

Of course, almost everybody realizes that silver is a precious metal that is used in jewelry. Silver jewelry is usually less expensive then gold jewelry because silver costs much less then gold. But silver jewelry still has status, and is not considered constume jewelry. And of course, silverware, is made from silver.

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Avoid Buying Fake Coins on EBay

First let me tell you that I buy on EBay all the time! I think it is one of the most convenient ways to look for good deals on silver and gold. I have purchased gold and silver coins, rounds, and bars. However, along with an increased bullion price, the incidents of fake bullion coins that are being reported has increased. What has also come out, is that some of the fake bullion was made so cleverly that the seller is not even aware that they are seling a fake.

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Can You Still Find US Silver Coins In Circulation?

It seems like the subject of searching bank rolls for silver coins comes up in every coin or silver related forum I frequent these days. While some people claim that, after so many years, the search is fruitless, others claim to make a nice haul. The deal is, people go to their local bank (or banks) and ask for rolls of half dollars. I’m not sure why half dollar rolls are more fruitful then rolls of dimes or quarters, but maybe it is because half dollars were minted from silver for a longer time. While most coins were no longer made out of silver after 1964, half dollars were minted from 40% silver from 1965 - 1970.

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