# Silver



## Swampwood

Who here is buying?? I have 2 or 3 shopping carts going yet, afraid to click pay. I know I should.


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## Startingout-Blair

Swampwood said:


> Who here is buying?? I have 2 or 3 shopping carts going yet, afraid to click pay. I know I should.


Been thinking about it too


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## Caribou

Silver is a hedge against inflation. If you don't have food and other supplies don't worry about silver. Silver and cash are just two items on a long list of preps. It has always been recommended that a certain percentage of your assets be in precious metals. The percentage varies depending on your situation and the current economy.


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## invision

Caribou said:


> Silver is a hedge against inflation. If you don't have food and other supplies don't worry about silver. Silver and cash are just two items on a long list of preps. It has always been recommended that a certain percentage of your assets be in precious metals. The percentage varies depending on your situation and the current economy.


Agree 100%... and to answer your question... yes around 10 silver eagles every other week...or equivalent is pre65 coins...


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## jsriley5

I actually thinned out my savings account and bought mostly silver. I simply did not want the fear of waking up to a crash and find out the bank is closed and will not open and all my money (all like I had a bunch) was gone probably never to be seen again. It is a little less liquid as silver which can actually be a good thing (I have a ebay problem) While it may not give me massive gains in value I feel more than reasonable sure it will hold its value. And if teotwaki does come it will have uses in barter or even cottage industry. And if werewolves and vampires come I can make bullets


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## Halloween

Me I like to have a variety of coins and 1 oz inget bars. But sometimes buying silver at spot price is more financially possible.


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## Halloween

Halloween said:


> Me I like to have a variety. But sometimes buying silver at spot price is more financially possible.


Talking about coin versus ingets of silver - ounce for ounce


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## Woody

After my other, more important prepping needs were filled I started buying silver. I had a bunch of Morgan’s from years ago but am now buying eagles by the roll. Have not bought in a few months as I was saving for a few home protection devices. When that need is filled this afternoon I will be saving for more silver.

For me it is a no brainer. Just look at the price of silver over the last 10 years then think back to what groceries cost ten years ago compared to today. I’m not ‘making money’ by buying silver I am preserving my ‘wealth’ in today’s dollars compared to tomorrow’s dollars. Which, we all know will be worth much less.


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## invision

Woody said:


> For me it is a no brainer. Just look at the price of silver over the last 10 years then think back to what groceries cost ten years ago compared to today. I'm not 'making money' by buying silver I am preserving my 'wealth' in today's dollars compared to tomorrow's dollars. Which, we all know will be worth much less.


Dead on... Absolutely while I chose to invest in PMs before I was even a prepper...


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## TXmom

Silvertowne is offering free shipping right now. Don't know for how long. The price on their 1 oz bars is a little less than for Eagles.
And , no, I don't work for them.


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## FrankW

I bought 100x 2012 silver eagles from our sponsor JM Bullion last month.
Now they switched to the 2013's and I was going to buy another 100 but am unwilling to pay the premium for the 2013s.

As a rule I am looking for coins that are no more than 2.5 dollars over spot (per troy oz)

I think its important to try to patronize site sponsors though.

When I bought the 100 coins I lost 200 dollars within a 10 days due to falling silver.
now its risen again and I recuped and made some extra.

I look at it not so much as a money making investment but as a hedge,.. as they will <always> have value even when nothing else does.


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## Grimm

Haven't had much thought about this until I came across the half dollars my grandfather gave me. Now I am buying silver when we can spare the extra money.


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## invision

Grimm said:


> Haven't had much thought about this until I came across the half dollars my grandfather gave me. Now I am buying silver when we can spare the extra money.


Yep, just think those .50 halves are now worth $11.60... that is an increase of 23.2 time original mint value... nice investment...


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## Grimm

invision said:


> Yep, just think those .50 halves are now worth $11.60... that is an increase of 23.2 time original mint value... nice investment...


Actually, non of the fifty cent pieces I have are silver. But they made me think of having some silver stashed away.


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## invision

Grimm said:


> Actually, non of the fifty cent pieces I have are silver. But they made me think of having some silver stashed away.


Well, that is good in a way then... at least they got you thinking about them...

One way to go about collecting is to go to the bank and get $500 in silver dollars - look through them and then take them back and repeat... slowly you will find 1,2,3 and build a supply... but it takes time... I tried it once and found a couple... no real score so I switched to buying direct.


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## Grimm

invision said:


> Well, that is good in a way then... at least they got you thinking about them...
> 
> One way to go about collecting is to go to the bank and get $500 in silver dollars - look through them and then take them back and repeat... slowly you will find 1,2,3 and build a supply... but it takes time... I tried it once and found a couple... no real score so I switched to buying direct.


I do that already and with quarters too. They think I'm nuts. Still haven't found any silver. I did find a 1945 silver nickle and a mercury dime on the ground not long ago.


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## invision

Grimm said:


> I do that already and with quarters too. They think I'm nuts. Still haven't found any silver. I did find a 1945 silver nickle and a mercury dime on the ground not long ago.


I actually stopped doing it, because here in ATL, with the fed reserve being here, I figure it is a lost cause... If I were elsewhere - say OH - I would probably try more... It isn't always easy to make yourself budget for a gold or silver purchase every month... Mine varies because what I am doing is cleaning out my business account at the end of every month down to $500-1000. Sometimes I have $2,000 sometimes more - after all expenses are paid (including myself) ... that can be spent on PMs... If your well stocked on food, ammo, and other supplies, then shift to PMs 50-50 for a couple months... Or if your doing a 401k lower your contributions by .5% and use that money for PM purchases.... It is a hedge and IMO a good investment...

Some will have thousands and thousands in PM, some will have none... But post-SHTF there will need to be some form of currency, and my personal hedge is it will go back to a currency backed by PMs,,. Even having some will be better than having none...

If you look at the top hedge fund managers, some go broke, some become very successful over a short period of time, and some become super successful over a long period of time... Those that have lasted the test of time have done so by being smart about their investment portfolios... I am following them as much as possible... Like the other post, when you see in one article 2 or 3 shifting, you know you need to too.


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## k0xxx

invision said:


> Well, that is good in a way then... at least they got you thinking about them...
> 
> One way to go about collecting is to go to the bank and get $500 in silver dollars - look through them and then take them back and repeat... slowly you will find 1,2,3 and build a supply... but it takes time... I tried it once and found a couple... no real score so I switched to buying direct.


Halves are a better bet. The Kennedy halves were 90% silver in 1964, and 40% silver 1965 - 1970. There have been no silver dollars made for general circulation since the Peace Dollars of 1935.

Over the last ten years while going through bank rolls of halves I have even found some Franklin halves, a few Walking Liberty's, and one Barber, but the silver ones are getting harder and harder to come by.


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## mojo4

Well I feel its much easier to just buy the .999 percent pure bars of silver. Its usually around spot or a few points over but its better than the numismatic crap brokers try to pawn off on you. A half ounce of some % purity between such and such years???? Not many people know what's what so I don't bother collecting those. I stick to 1 oz. bars and coins. I know some say you can't make change but if I'm down to buying in silver 1 oz coins by all means buy more!!


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## k0xxx

mojo4 said:


> Well I feel its much easier to just buy the .999 percent pure bars of silver. Its usually around spot or a few points over but its better than the numismatic crap brokers try to pawn off on you. A half ounce of some % purity between such and such years???? Not many people know what's what so I don't bother collecting those. I stick to 1 oz. bars and coins. I know some say you can't make change but if I'm down to buying in silver 1 oz coins by all means buy more!!


The same people who don't know the value of silver coinage are probably (IMHO) even less likely to trust a 1 ounce silver bar minted by an unknown private company. Because there are so many possible scenarios where silver and/or gold would be advantageous, is the reason that I have diversified the types of metals that I hold. I've got both silver and gold in US coinage, US bullion, private bullion, as well as jewelry, and even in tableware. I've just picked it up where ever and however over the last 30 years. I have a larger percentage in bullion. This works for me as I don't foresee using it as a barter medium, but if I do I have that base covered also with the coinage.


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## Grimm

k0xxx said:


> The same people who don't know the value of silver coinage are probably (IMHO) even less likely to trust a 1 ounce silver bar minted by an unknown private company. Because there are so many possible scenarios where silver and/or gold would be advantageous, is the reason that I have diversified the types of metals that I hold. I've got both silver and gold in US coinage, US bullion, private bullion, as well as jewelry, and even in tableware. I've just picked it up where ever and however over the last 30 years. I have a larger percentage in bullion. This works for me as I don't foresee using it as a barter medium, but if I do I have that base covered also with the coinage.


Who do you buy your gold from? I have gold rings and other gold jewelry stashed away but have been thinking of other forms of gold.


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## k0xxx

Grimm said:


> Who do you buy your gold from? I have gold rings and other gold jewelry stashed away but have been thinking of other forms of gold.


Although I seldom purchase gold bullion any more due to the expense, when I do I mostly use eBay, and only then from well established sellers. Every now and then I'll pick up a bit from an seller like Gainsville Coins, MintProducts, or such.

Over the years I have also bought from Craigslist (including running my own ads for gold/silver), pawn shops, coin/bullion dealers, flea markets, garage sales, etc.


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## jsriley5

I have had ONE pleasant experience buying gold and silver coins from Merit Financial. Also JM bullion I think is a supporter here at the board and a thread on them has not had anything negative to say and at least one recent pleasant experience posted. I got most of my junk silver off ebay. beware or buying the other stuff unless they have tons of good feedback as there are counterfiets of some of the ounce coins ounce bars and even some of the silver dollars out there.


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## Grimm

What is everyones thoughts on hanging on to the 40% silver Eisenhower Dollars? I just got 23 Eisenhower Dollars from the bank and 12 are silver.


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## invision

As long as the Eisenhower Dollars are stamped with an S mark - then yes they are silver... current value puts them at $9.98 - That gets ya about $119 or so... I would look at selling or trading them off for a few America Silver Eagles... Should be able to exchange them for 3 S.E.


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## Caribou

Silver eagles are great but if you trade you will have to pay a premium. Any silver coin has value. If it ever came to trading for supplies I would rather have ten $10 bills than one $100 bill. Great find!


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## Immolatus

k0xxx said:


> The same people who don't know the value of silver coinage are probably (IMHO) even less likely to trust a 1 ounce silver bar minted by an unknown private company.


These are obviously just our opinions, so I am sure I am just as wrong. 
I think I disagree with this for a few reasons, but one glaringly simple one.
If we are talking about using silver as 'money' after/during some kind of massive currency devaluation for whatever reason...
Either scenario (accepting junk silver or bullion)_ implies that one knows/understands the value of silver _(however one may define that) _in the first place_. That said, it follows (to me at least) that this is the first step, and following the path of least resistance, most peoples knowledge will stop there. If this is correct, and it certainly would be for the bulk of the population simply because people are inherently lazy and ignorant (I'm not actually trying to be judgmental in this case) then people will more easily accept a 1oz bar of silver because it requires less effort to determine its 'value', rather than knowing the value of silver plus the content of any given coin from the 60's multiplied by said value.
Sound at least somewhat accurate or possible?
Obviously the one major factor which would completely screw this theory to all hell would be incidents of forgery. Then all bets are off.

All that said, which was actually a response to what I think you meant, to address what you actually said...
Those that dont know the value of coinage and wont trust a 1oz bar of bullion probably either 1)wont have any (need for?) money in the first place, or 2) will be the overlords and will be trying to get over on you by feigning ignorance.


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## k0xxx

Immolatus said:


> These are obviously just our opinions, so I am sure I am just as wrong.  *(snip)*


You may very well be correct. I base my opinions on thirty years of buying and selling silver, but circumstances could easily render my opinions worthless and nobody knows what the future holds. Unfortunately, my experience has been that the vast majority of the general public have no idea that common coins in circulation _do not_ contain silver. Also, of those people mistakenly believing that our coins still contain silver, very few (perhaps 5% at best) have any inkling what silver is worth. I would venture to say that less than 10% of the population is paying attention enough to tell you the worth of an ounce of gold.

Over the years I have met a lot of people that were very suspicious of privately minted bullion. And with all of the fakes bars and coins coming out of China, even experienced dealers can be fooled if the get complacent. As an example, a local pawn shop owner got taken when he purchased several Chinese tenth ounce gold Pandas. He didn't take the time to even weigh them before the seller was out the door, and he was out a nice chunk of change. Hey, you can also purchase the molds to pour your own gold or silver bars off of e-Bay.

For all of these reasons I do not anticipate using gold and silver as barter. I could very well be wrong, and I have at lest a little of these metals in almost every form imaginable, so I have the bases covered. I just hope that we never actually have to find out which of us is correct. 

After writing the above, I came across this article: Fake American Eagle silver coins surface


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## Grimm

k0xxx said:


> You may very well be correct. I base my opinions on thirty years of buying and selling silver, but circumstances could easily render my opinions worthless and nobody knows what the future holds. Unfortunately, my experience has been that the vast majority of the general public have no idea that common coins in circulation _do not_ contain silver. Also, of those people mistakenly believing that our coins still contain silver, very few (perhaps 5% at best) have any inkling what silver is worth. I would venture to say that less than 10% of the population is paying attention enough to tell you the worth of an ounce of gold.
> 
> Over the years I have met a lot of people that were very suspicious of privately minted bullion. And with all of the fakes bars and coins coming out of China, even experienced dealers can be fooled if the get complacent. As an example, a local pawn shop owner got taken when he purchased several Chinese tenth ounce gold Pandas. He didn't take the time to even weigh them before the seller was out the door, and he was out a nice chunk of change. Hey, you can also purchase the molds to pour your own gold or silver bars off of e-Bay.
> 
> For all of these reasons I do not anticipate using gold and silver as barter. I could very well be wrong, and I have at lest a little of these metals in almost every form imaginable, so I have the bases covered. I just hope that we never actually have to find out which of us is correct.
> 
> After writing the above, I came across this article: Fake American Eagle silver coins surface


Thanks for the info about fakes. It helps to have this info so we can protect ourselves.


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## Gravlore

Check out the photos. It is gold though.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/tungs...-bar-found-middle-manhattans-jewelry-district


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## Immolatus

See, I told you I was wrong...



k0xxx said:


> Unfortunately, my experience has been that the vast majority of the general public have no idea that common coins in circulation _do not_ contain silver.


Wow. That never would have occurred to me, never. Kinda blows my whole theory out of the water, dont it? That is really unbelievable. If someone said that to me, that a modern dime for instance is made from (some) silver, I would go blank. I guess I was overestimating the average persons knowledge on the subject. I would love to hear about how that goes down. Please tell me a story behind one of those transactions. Someone comes to you trying to sell you some silver with a pocket full of dimes/quarters, thinking a modern dime is worth more than $.10? I am actually dumbfounded, but guess I really shouldnt be.


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## Grimm

Immolatus said:


> See, I told you I was wrong...
> 
> Wow. That never would have occurred to me, never. Kinda blows my whole theory out of the water, dont it? That is really unbelievable. If someone said that to me, that a modern dime for instance is made from (some) silver, I would go blank. I guess I was overestimating the average persons knowledge on the subject. I would love to hear about how that goes down. Please tell me a story behind one of those transactions. Someone comes to you trying to sell you some silver with a pocket full of dimes/quarters, thinking a modern dime is worth more than $.10? I am actually dumbfounded, but guess I really shouldnt be.


I was recently browsing ebay to see the average price of silver coins being sold when I found a listing for a 1972 Eisenhower dollar for sale for $4.00. I glanced at the item pictures to find that the mint mark was a "D" not the "S" that indicates silver. The seller was claiming the coin was 40% silver. I asked a bunch of questions about the coin and all the answers came back proving the coin was not silver. The seller was told by a friend that the coin was 40% silver so they believed them and decided to sell the coin for more than face value.


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## prepperware

One more monkey wrench to throw into your brain's gears.... Most coins printed have a face value of $1... Except for Canadian.. it is $5... IF there was a massive drop in silver... Canada still has to honor the $5 value... that is assuming their currency is worth anything... Just something to consider.. it was not that long ago silver was under $5 / oz.


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## Caribou

kOxxx this may not surprise you but it sure did me.

https://plus.google.com/10259867181...GRJGD2iJew9bN0BiGiGi15twjpTmHfM2ctPNyA&cfem=1


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## Immolatus

I seen that vid and it obviously didnt register. Those people were your average boob on the street, not someone trying to barter metals though, not that its any excuse for ignorance.

Prep-I wonder if those coins were being minted when silver was below $5? I would guess so, given the rest of our current coinage.
Good reason to buy maples, maybe? Not that it would matter if the economy has crashed, a CDN wont be worth any more than a USD.


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## Swampwood

Thanks everyone, Started the collection.


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## k0xxx

Immolatus said:


> ...(snip)...
> Wow. That never would have occurred to me, never. Kinda blows my whole theory out of the water, dont it? That is really unbelievable. If someone said that to me, that a modern dime for instance is made from (some) silver, I would go blank. I guess I was overestimating the average persons knowledge on the subject. I would love to hear about how that goes down. Please tell me a story behind one of those transactions. Someone comes to you trying to sell you some silver with a pocket full of dimes/quarters, thinking a modern dime is worth more than $.10? I am actually dumbfounded, but guess I really shouldnt be.


Sometimes I post an ad on Craigslist offering to buy silver coins, jewelry, etc., and not too long ago I forgot to add that I only want 1964 or older coins. I had several people call and offer me circulated Eisenhower dollars, but one gentleman (in his 20's) called and said that he had rolls of silver coins that were in his grandfather's home when he passed away. He showed up with a box with about 30 rolls of coins, all of which were 1965 and newer. He actually got defensive when I started to explain that they had no silver in them. I had to show him one of my coin books, where it described the compositions, before he would believe me.


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## invision

k0xxx said:


> Sometimes I post an ad on Craigslist offering to buy silver coins, jewelry, etc., and not too long ago I forgot to add that I only want 1964 or older coins. I had several people call and offer me circulated Eisenhower dollars, but one gentleman (in his 20's) called and said that he had rolls of silver coins that were in his grandfather's home when he passed away. He showed up with a box with about 30 rolls of coins, all of which were 1965 and newer. He actually got defensive when I started to explain that they had no silver in them. I had to show him one of my coin books, where it described the compositions, before he would believe me.


Might be a good idea to print out some of the facts and prices now from the Internet ... So you can show people in a post SHTF world - sorry Charlie, your dime isn't worth even 10 cents...

If you don't have the books... That is...


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## Immolatus

You mean you wont pay me more than $10 for my roll of quarters I just got from the bank? Jerk! Thats a funny story! Do you offer spot when you do that? You have them come to your house? Ack! One of the guys at works g/f works at a bank. Someone came in a few months ago trading in her Morgan dollars for cash. I dont think she (the teller)even knew what they were, just thought they were nice looking, so she took them for herself (she didnt steal them!). My buddy bought all of them from her at spot.


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## k0xxx

Yes, I buy at spot, and we usually meet at a neutral location. There are several places that advertise locally for buying silver, but they all pay below spot so I make sure that I mention that in my ads. This being a rural area, I don't get too many sellers, but it doesn't cost anything to try. I did have a lady call about some sterling flatware that she wanted to sell, but it was 12 place settings with serving pieces, and was way more than I could afford (I stopped counting at 200 ounces) at the time. She wanted to sell it all at one time, so I found her a buyer that could take it all.


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## Tacitus

invision said:


> Might be a good idea to print out some of the facts and prices now from the Internet ... So you can show people in a post SHTF world - sorry Charlie, your dime isn't worth even 10 cents...
> 
> If you don't have the books... That is...


Any suggestions on a good book for that? Perhaps they are very common, and I just need to walk into any book store, but if there is a "bible" for this sort of thing, a book recognized by everyone as the most reliable source, I would like to get that book.


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## invision

Tacitus said:


> Any suggestions on a good book for that? Perhaps they are very common, and I just need to walk into any book store, but if there is a "bible" for this sort of thing, a book recognized by everyone as the most reliable source, I would like to get that book.


K0xxx? What would you suggest? I use online sites to verify if I am questioning something...

Also, k0xxx would you mind sending a sample of what you put on CL? Would love to try that here in ATL....


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## Tacitus

I just worked up a spreadsheet for figuring the values of coins. I have to manually enter the spot value at the upper right, and the spreadsheet figures out the value of the silver in each coin. The below values are only valid for today, February 14, 2013. (US coins, US dollars)


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## k0xxx

invision said:


> K0xxx? What would you suggest? I use online sites to verify if I am questioning something...
> 
> Also, k0xxx would you mind sending a sample of what you put on CL? Would love to try that here in ATL....


I use the *Red Book Guide to United States Coins.* It gives the composition, and weight for all US coinage.

This is just a quick general ad that I would place on Craigslist:

_I am a private individual looking to buy a limited amount dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars dated 1964 and older. I will also buy silver jewelry, tableware, candle holders, and other items marked sterling or 925. I am willing to go to you, or we can meet in a public, neutral location.

There are local dealers that will buy these fora percentage of spot price, but I am paying the current FULL spot price. If interested, contact me through this ad, or call XXX-XXX-XXXX. _

For a long time I wouldn't list my phone number, as it is easy for people to use a reverse look up website to get my address, but I found that I generally get a better response with the number listed.


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