June 30, 2023

Silver Stackers - which is a better choice coins, bars, or rounds? Which is best for you?

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Silver stacking choices are plentiful. You could be a coin silver stacker that purchases pre-1964 coins with 90% silver, a silver bar stacker that seeks out the best-priced CombiBar or Vault Silver, or a collector of silver bullets, unique privately minted designed series rounds, or so much more. 

There are plenty of silver offerings for you to start stacking. The question that is found in all the forums and websites is; What is better Stacking Silver Bars or Coins and should I Stack Silver in My SDIRA?

The answer you're looking for will not be found in my blog article. That's right, what you stack is a personal preference. Choosing what to stack involves the process of educating yourself on the item and making sure you understand all angles of the transaction to get the best price. 

Why do we want to get the best price when stacking? Because the profit or reward of buying an item comes from knowing you got a price at or near the current spot, so you can sell it in the future and make money.

You wouldn't buy a unique one-of-a-kind silver round that looks awesome as a stacker. This is a choice for a collector, they will display the item for friends and family to view. 

No, you are a stacker, someone that keeps their purchases to themselves. You catalog your purchases with Spot + premium and you log when and where you bought them. You are not a collector, you are turning your cash into a hard asset with the belief the value will go up and you will make money on your coins or bars in the future. 

Free Silver with Qualifying Account and Investment from Goldco
Kenedy half dollar 1964 90% silver
2022-american-eagle-silver-one-ounce-bullion-coin-reverse
Scottsdale Mint Silver Stacker. A Bullion Round with 100 grams of .999 Fine Silver

Stacking Information for Silver Coins

When you start stacking, you will want to focus on one type of coin to start. When you stick with one coin type you will, with education, research, and discussions, become an expert on that coin. You will be able to check online and know if a price is good and you will be able to walk into any coin shop and ask specifically for that coin knowing its value and what you are willing to pay. 

Coin stack can involve numismatics, junk silver, or bullion minted coins by sovereign government mints like the U.S. Mint and are stamped with face value. Yes, a coin is different than a round in that it has a face value. Why is that important? Because if the spot price of silver goes to zero you will at least have a coin worth something. 

Silver rounds are minted by private mints in the U.S. or abroad. A round can look like a coin but it has no face value. If the round is from a quality mint it should have its purity of silver .999 stamped and be stamped with the mint name and the amount of silver in the round. 

Above, we have presented the three types of coins and rounds stamped. The coin on the left is 90% silver half-dollar, the one in the center is a bullion U.S. Minted Silver Eagle, and the round on the right is from a private mint the Scottsdale Mint. 

collector silver proof sets

The other choice of coin on the market for stacking is the U.S. Minted Proofs as seen above. These coins appear to be similar to that of the U.S. Minted Bullion coin but the process these Proofs went through is more stringent. The U.S. Proof coins are sold by the U.S. Mint and while they have value both based on their metal and complex production, they also come with a certificate of authenticity. The premium for the Proof coins is typically the highest. You would typically find these products packaged for collectors and not circulated. 

Premiums of Silver Coin and Rounds:

When you become the expert at your chosen stacker. You will be able to determine if the price is based on the unique nature of the coins as a collectible or if they are priced based on the spot price + premium. 

Numismatics and rare coins are priced based on supply, demand, and condition. To get the highest price you will have to stack coins that are in high demand and the best condition. These items will likely cause you to pay the highest premiums. The amount of silver contained in these types of coins is generally less significant than the collectability of the item. You must ask yourself if the rare coin is worth anything to someone else and how much is it worth if I melted it down. By becoming educated on numismatics and rare coins you could find some good deals, but this type of stacking will take time and a lot of education.

Bullion Coins produced by sovereign nations. These coins are priced based on their silver content + premium. The premium is generally stated as the cost the mint paid for the minting process and production of the coin. The truth is, once the item is circulated, the premium will depend on the seller's ability to recoup any cost for that item along with attaching a profit to the coin for their business. You could check five different online gold retailers or local coin shops and get a different "premium" every time. The price will typically not be too much different than other sellers, but the premium will include the company's profit. 

Bullion Rounds are produced by private mints. These silver rounds will typically have a lower premium when compared to the bullion coin. These will also have the most counterfeiting as the ability for someone to print a round that looks like silver and is stamped as having 100 grams of silver at .999 fine is easy to complete. You should never buy rounds from someone you don't know or trust. If you are interested in their rounds have a local coin dealer check them out before you buy to ensure they are not counterfeit. If an advertisement says 99.99% silver for $1.50 you know this is fake silver. 

Determining Silver Premiums:

You can figure out the premium for the silver you are interested in by knowing two things:

  1. The Spot Price of Silver Today
  2. The Retail Price of the Round or Coin

Once you have these two numbers take the retail price and subtract today's spot price to get a number. That number is the premium. 

Example #1: (Based on the Spot Price of Silver 6/30/23 and Money Metals prices online)

1oz 2023 American Silver Eagle Coin is Priced at $36.96 

Today's Spot Price of Silver is $22.48

$36.96 - $22.48 = $14.48

$14.48 is the premium for that coin

Is that a good price for that coin? You need to know the market and determine if it is a good price. 

Example #2: (Based on the Spot Price of Silver 6/30/23 and Money Metals prices online)

A Donald J. Trump 1 oz Silver Round .999 pure priced at $29.66

Today's Spot Price of Silver is $22.48

$29.66 - $22.48 = $7.18

$7.18 is the premium for that coin

Is that a good price for that coin? You need to know the market and determine if it is a good price.

How Else Can I Compare Premiums:

One other way to compare bullion coins and round premiums is by a percentage of the purchase price. 

Example #1 (from above) has a premium of $14.48 and a sale price of $36.96. Remember today's spot price is $22.48 and you want to know the premium compared to the spot price. 

$14.48 / $22.48 = 0.6441 or 64.41%

Example #2 (from above) has a premium of $7.18 and a sale price of $29.66

$7.18 / $22.48 = 0.3194 or 31.94%

Now when you at stacking silver is this a good percentage above the spot to be paying?

Vault Silver
Common silver to stack when starting out - silver bars .9999 pure
1 oz silver bar
Valcambi Package of 10 individual bars each having 1 gram of silver with a total of 10 grams of silver in the package

Stacking Information for Silver Bars

An excellent way to get into stacking is with silver bars. But there are different types which are best for you? Knowing the difference between Combi, Cast, and Minted Bars will help you decide which might be the best choice for you. 

For reference, the silver bar on the left above is a cast bar. This bar is produced with the least cost and is more of a rough finish. Good refiners and mints will stamp their bar with their name, the amount of silver along with a purity indication. Today, to ward off counterfeiting some refiners will even stamp a unit number for reference.

The center silver bar is a Minted Silver Bar. These types of silver bars are more eye-pleasing. Typically formed individually, the process involves pouring into a mold and pressing the bar to make a uniform look. These bars will come packaged, like above, or sold loose. Again, they should be marked by the refiner or mint and noted to have a purity and an amount of silver contained in the bar.  

Combi Silver Bars are noted on the right above. These are pressed silver into a mold in small 1-gram increments. These are sold with 10 grams (10 individual bars) or more. The idea behind these is if you choose you can break off a piece of silver separating it from the others. 

While this may happen, the value of the whole is generally worth more than the individual gram pieces. 

Premiums of Silver Bars:

When determining the premiums for bullion bars it is much easier than their counterpart coins. Matter of fact they are most similar to that of silver rounds and silver bullion coins as you must know the spot price of silver to determine the premium. There is no need to be an expert, just knowing the premiums will determine what is a good price to pay. Typically, there is no "special" or "rare" silver. Only silver purity will determine the value of the bar along with the premium attached. 

Determining Silver Premiums:

You can figure out the premium for the silver you are interested in by knowing two things:

  1. The Spot Price of Silver Today
  2. The Retail Price of the Silver Bar

Once you have these two numbers take the retail price and subtract today's spot price to get a number. That number is the premium. 

Based on the math from the coins and rounds above you figure the premium in the same manner. Take the retail price and subtract the spot price will give you the premium.

You can take that information and again figure out a percental of the spot for that premium. This is just a second way to look at or calculate premiums. Take the difference and divide it by today's spot price and you will get a decimal. Move it two spaces to the right and you have a percentage.

Buy Gold and Silver

So are Silver Coins and Rounds a Better Choice or Should I buy Silver Bars?

To be a silver stacker you need to be diligent about learning. You also must be careful to not overpay for any particular coin or bar. Don't make these Silver Stacker Mistakes when starting. 

The premiums are what you want to be concerned about. The higher the premium the less likely you will recoup your investment. When selling silver coins or bars, the coin dealers will likely not pay above the spot price. They will pay less than the spot price to give themselves a cushion to sell the item, but also in the rare case the spot price of silver or gold declines, they have a buffer to still be able to move the item and make some money. Remember both local coin shops and online dealers are in the business to make money. They do that based on their "buy" and so should you.

When you are starting out stacking you should be cautious and stay away from anything you think is unique and one of a kind. Also, when you are starting there are very intriguing items like silver bullets and Lego pieces. These are collector items, don't spend your money on these in the beginning.

As I mentioned, in the beginning, choosing what to silver stack is a personal preference. But, when you chose an item, stick with it and learn all you can before you buy. Don't be afraid to get out there and start talking to your local coin shops. These locations will have the most knowledgeable individuals when it comes to numismatics and rare coins. Also, local coin shops are good for getting some great deals as they are likely to bundle or stack several coins and rounds to lower your premiums. 

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