-- Posted 22 August, 2008 | | Discuss This Article - Comments:
Source: SilverSeek.com
(No wonder you can't find any!)
Silver Stock Report
Really, no hype, I found a way you can get physical silver practically for free.
I have always been frusterated with the premiums, or extra fees, for American Silver Eagles. I've never liked paying nearly $2/oz over the spot price, especially not when silver was $5/oz.! Instead, my personal preference for my own collection of silver, for 1 oz. silver coins, has been to buy the one ounce rounds, which, over the past few years, have sold for about 50 cents over spot. But you can't even get them today.
But I'm spoiled. Part of the reason premiums for rounds and 100 oz. bars has been so cheap in the last ten years is that they were often sold for the silver value alone, and were melted down, as existing supplies of silver were melted to fill the deficit. Or, perhaps private mints were making them as loss leaders, I don't know.
Lately, I've been thinking about that coin premium a bit more, especially as premiums have increased for bars and silver Eagles. About a year ago, I wanted to start making my own silver rounds, but the local mint didn't have the ability to make coin blanks, and he would charge me $1.50 per coin on top of the cost of the cost of getting the silver in blanks. I passed.
Thinking more, clearly it's more work to make 10 coins of 1/10th of an ounce, rather than 1. I would suppose that these would cost more, just as 1/10th ounce gold pieces typically cost more than a 1 ounce gold piece. One tenth ounce gold pieces can cost nearly 10% over the spot price of gold! At $800 for gold, that indicates $80 for a 10th oz. gold piece, which, at a 10% premium, would indicate a per coin minting cost of $8 each!
The higher cost for smaller coinage is also reflected in the fact that silver dollars contain more silver than half dollars, quarters and dimes. Silver dollars contain about .76 of an ounce of silver, and the small coinage contains .72 of an ounce of silver. The difference reflects the extra minting costs.
But there is an additional minting cost that was paid when silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars were put into circulation.
Most silver at the time was purchased by the U.S. Mint at about 70 cents per ounce. "The United States paid from 64.64 cents to 77 cents per ounce for domestic silver, which had a market value of 45 cents."
http://www.answers.com/topic/silver-legislation
The mint then turned around, and turned that ounce of silver into $1.39 worth of coinage, as that's the inverse of .72 of an ounce, which made a full $1 of coinage.
So, the cost for silver in the coinage form, was $1.39, which got you an ounce of silver (worth 70 cents), or a full ounce in $1.39 worth of coinage! That's like paying $1.93 for every $1 value of silver, or paying a 93% premium over the spot price!
Monetary advocates love to preach about how the U.S. mint ought to mint silver for free, but I don't see how they ever did.
http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/fekete/2008/0205.html
Mints earned quite a bit, which is called "seniorage".
http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Seniorage
Let me say that again. When silver dimes were issued, when silver was money, when a silver quarter was a day's wage, a silver dime would have been the equivalent of a silver coin that traded at a cost of 93% over the spot price of silver!
At $13/oz., that would be like a one ounce coin that circulated like a $25 bill!
Interestingly, today, a commemorative Silver Eagle, from the U.S. Mint, costs $25.95
So, what does a silver dime cost today? 90% silver trades at the spot price of silver. (Not at a 93% premium, fortunately!)
So, in that sense, aren't you glad that silver is not money, and that we are not living on a silver standard? I never thought I'd be so happy about today's opportunity! Since silver is not money, you don't have to pay the minting cost!
At $13.92/oz., a bag of $1000 face silver contains 715-720 ounces of silver, valued at spot, is $9553. That bag contains 10,000 dimes. So, each dime will cost 95 cents.
The cost to privately mint 10,000 pieces of silver, would surely cost well over $1 per coin today, with the size of each piece being completely unimportant.
Therefore, when you are buying 90% silver dimes, consider that you are paying what might be less than the cost to mint them or make them, and thus, the silver itself, is free.
You can find 90% at www.fidelitrade.com, www.amark.com, or www.apmex.com, and maybe also at other dealers I've previously mentioned at www.find-your-local-coin-shop.com
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By the way, this year's Silver Summit in Idaho is in about a month on September 18-19, with further festivities on 20-21 . See thesilversummit.com (But I won't be there!*)
Keynote speakers include Jeffrey M. Christian, managing director of the CPM Group; “Trader Roger” Wiegand of Trade Tracks Stocks; David Morgan, of the Morgan Report (formerly Silver-Investor); James Turk, founder of GoldMoney; Bill Murphy, chairman of the Gold Anti-Trust Committee (GATA); author Norm Franz; Liberty Dollar founder Bernard von NotHaus; and Alexander Korelin, founder of A.B. Korelin & Associates and host of the popular radio program, the Korelin Economics Report.
Some 50 silver companies representing the bulk of the world's primary silver production, along with their CEOs, will be on hand to visit with the estimated 800 investors and silver bugs who attend the Silver Summit.
* As I was blessed with a new baby boy on July 16th, who is now 5 weeks old and a real bundle of joy, I've decided to not travel to any shows in the following year to be able to spend more time with my growing family.
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Be very, very careful about ordering silver right now. Demand to know exactly when they can deliver. If they can't guarantee delivery within a week or your full money back, then consider that they probably don't have it!
Here's what I suggest. FIND YOUR LOCAL COIN SHOP.
In fact, now might be a good time to meet up other Silver Stock Report readers at YOUR LOCAL COIN SHOP.
Usually, I might visit my local coin shop once a month. Usually, there are 0-2 other people in the shop, at most. Suppose if all buyers during a month show up all at once? Clearly, the shop will be sold out immediately, if it isn't already. I think that would leave an impression on the owner.
This will serve several purposes:
1. You will find out that you are not alone.
2. You will impress upon your dealer the amount of demand for silver.
3. The coin shop owner will be more confident and more likely to raise his bids to get silver for everyone, so it's in your own best long term interests to show up.
4. Be sure to tell him about good sources, such as fidelitrade.com, amark.com ($50,000 minimum), wexfordcoin.com ($10,000 minimum) and others where he can buy in bulk, cheaply, if he needs to.
I suggest that everyone visit their favorite local coin shop on September 2, at 2PM. That's Tuesday after next. (TWO's-Day) Easy to remember!
Sincerely,
Jason Hommel
www.find-your-local-coin-shop.com
www.silverstockreport.com
www.miningpedia.com
www.bibleprophesy.org
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-- Posted 22 August, 2008 | | Discuss This Article - Comments:
