# Need help buying silver



## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

I don't know anything about buying pm. My local coin store has pre 65 dimes and quarters for $17.55 for one dollar face value. From what I can find online that is an ok price for dimes but not quarters.

Can someone help me?


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

why not try some pawn shops? I've seen silver dollars and coin collections and even small gold coins in some. I've even saw a silver ingot that could be worn as a necklace/pendant. *shrugs*
I wonder if you can go to a bank and buy silver dollars? I've never tried so I wouldn't know.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Go to the very bottom of this page for some links to a number of ideas.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

this website will tell you what they are worth right now
http://www.coinflation.com/

As I write this 10 dimes are worth 14.08 and 10 dimes are also worth 14.08. So I think that's around 5 over spot. That's not too bad. A 1 ounce silver eagle is going for $26 or so right now in the shops. And that's more then $6 over spot (The value of silver per ounce at the moment). But of course that's .999 silver and the junk silver values are calculated on their silver content which is 90% of the weight of the coin, which of course varies by the type of coin, in general the heavier the coin the more silver thus it is worth more and that's why 4 pre 65 quarters (1964 is the last year for silver coins except half dollars and that is 1964 for 90% and 65-69 for 40%) is the same as 10 pre 65 dimes. I think, and Im not an expert by any means, if you want silver for shtf and or inflation go with the dimes and quarters, if you want it for long term investment go with the eagles and keep them in the best condition you can. There are books on amazon for this and unlike my old stamp collecting hobby they are actually affordable for coin collecting/investment. Im actually trying to talk my wife into letting me sell my stamp collection to go into coins hardcore. But Ive been working on it since I was 12 and there are a lot of memories of loved ones now gone that are associated with it. Ha, writing this I kinda want to go look at my stamp albums now. Maybe I don't want to sell them after all LOL. Good luck and I don't thin that's too bad of a deal but value of silver has gone up about 50 cents an ounce this week I believe so your deal may cost you a buck or more in the next couple days but in general dealers hang onto their prices longer then melt shops. If you could find a flea market you might get lucky but antique shopes are often bad for 3 reasons, they often know what they have and how much its worth, they are often full of people who can afford to hang on to stuff because they are not trying to turn a profit quickly and thus they can wait for the customer who is willing to pay more, and finally because they are not as likely to want to turn a profit as quick as say the flea market people they often have prices marked the same as when they opened the shop or booth and this is bad for silver as it has taken a nose dive in the last two years. On the other hand this is great for things like old tools and cast iron, still not as good as a flea market or yard sell because as I said they know what they have but you are far more likely to find a cool deal on a draw knife then a 1927 Standing Liberty Quarter if they put it out 5 years ago or so and there wernt as many of us buying that kind of stuff LOL.(Yes I know plenty of tool collectors 5 years ago too) Just my .02.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

This is the website for the US mints Eagles

http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wc...storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&identifier=1000

As you can see, you do not want to order from them LOL


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## bkt (Oct 10, 2008)

I have bought online from apmex.com and providentmetals.com with no problems.

Take a look at the current silver spot price online (example: http://www.kitco.com/images/live/silver.gif) before you walk into a coin store or pawn shop so you know whether or not the asking price at a local store is reasonable. I find between $2-$6 per ounce over the spot price is normal online and sometimes you can find it lower than that. Locally, it can vary but it's usually higher. Be careful.

Also, junk silver has been in high demand lately. Sometimes, it even commands a price as high as .9999 silver rounds which defeats the purpose of getting silver inexpensively, IMO. So don't be shy about looking at generic silver bullion rounds and bars. As long as the weight and purity are marked, it's OK, in my opinion.


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## Beaniemaster2 (May 22, 2012)

I got great buys on dimes on Ebay... just check the spot price so you know if you get a good deal and yes, remember they are only like 90% silver... Northwest Territory I have dealt with but they are really slow and can't say I would deal with them again...

By the way... buying dimes and quarters is very smart... Most people buy dollars and they will be hard to barter for small items IMO...


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Here are a couple of sites that may assist you in figuring how much the silver is worth in that pesky dime or quarter.

http://www.coinflation.com/silver_coin_values.html

http://www.coinflation.com/coins/silver_coin_calculator.html


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## SouthCentralUS (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I made a commitment today to make a large purchase tomorrow. While I am there plan to see about some silver eagles for husband's birthday next month.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

bkt said:


> I have bought online from apmex.com and providentmetals.com with no problems.
> 
> Take a look at the current silver spot price online (example: http://www.kitco.com/images/live/silver.gif) before you walk into a coin store or pawn shop so you know whether or not the asking price at a local store is reasonable. I find between $2-$6 per ounce over the spot price is normal online and sometimes you can find it lower than that. Locally, it can vary but it's usually higher. Be careful.
> 
> Also, junk silver has been in high demand lately. Sometimes, it even commands a price as high as .9999 silver rounds which defeats the purpose of getting silver inexpensively, IMO. So don't be shy about looking at generic silver bullion rounds and bars. As long as the weight and purity are marked, it's OK, in my opinion.


I have also bought from Apmex, and I would recommend them. The last thing I got from them was Buffalo 1oz rounds and they were running a sale, .79 over spot so I bought a few just to keep stacking.

They are the exact same product that my local guy sells, and he charges exactly $2 over spot as a premium for rounds, so now all of a sudden you're thinking, you just saved $1.21 per round!!! no, not really... I only bought 5 so I was at the standard shipping of $9.95... Okay, now I lost $5 bucks!!!! no, not really... it would have cost me 2 gallons of gas at $4 a gallon to go get the rounds from him.

Basically it was a complete non-issue buying from them or him, I just wanted to do it for a comparison. The rounds are identical, I weighed and measured them. It may very well be who he bought/buys his through, and with the volume he buys, he probably gets the "sale" price I did or better.

Higher premiums are... iffy at best. I've watched some things online (eBay) and the really designer stuff gets to command a premium, but those collectors to me really seem like they are buying "art" that has intrinsic wealth as its base. I've also watched people spend $15 on a 1/2 oz round, when spot is $19.x per oz. they just paid a $6 premium. really? and it wasn't the cool elaborate stuff, it was 1/2 oz walking liberty rounds.

Yeahhhhhhhhh... me? no! I'll stick to the basic stuff, get the most bang for my buck!

Oh yeah, when I buy the junk silver, I asked him about the premium that's been commanding lately and I asked if people melting it has contributed to that, and he thinks so.

consider that there are people who buy estate sales, or buy storage lockers, then they get this huge bag 'O coins... they probably have someone sort it out for rare mints and dates, and then they ship it all off to be melted and refined into .999 bars. They "KNOW" what they have with .999 bars/rounds but with coins they have to deal with fv (face value) and a ton of eBay auctions, and eBay's perpetual cuts into their profit, along with whatever slice paypal grabs... they don't want the hassles... and this common activity diminishes the supply of junk coins, thus raising the price given a constant or increasing demand.

Personally I want both... I want 1oz rounds/bars for buying big items. Dropping one of the plastic cases of those full of 20x 1oz rounds on the table may be the poker equivalent of "I'm all in" and that's fine... but I also need dimes to buy small stuff or make change if I'm selling.

Speaking of which, I need to put acid test kits on my amazon cart list. I also need to find out how long those chemicals are valid for doing the test.

Lots to consider for sure, but this is the way to turn FIAT money into WEALTH, and then protect your future.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Check on Craigslist for silver bullion. There are usually alot of local people selling for a buck or 2 over spot. Less paperwork also. Depending on how much you get the price drops too. The American eagle and Canadian maple are good choices. They only come in one ounce coins and are usually in very good condition as it was never really used in circulation like older pre 64 coins. Since they were never in circulation they also don't have wear issues and are .999 pure not .90 like pre 64 coins. They are my personal preference and are quite pretty to stack up...... or so I've been told!!! Im sure the wear issue on older coins doesn't seem like much but if you buy thousands of them im willing to bet you would lose some value unless you buy by weight and not by number of coins.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

http://www.providentmetals.com/90-junk-silver-us-coins-1-face-value-715-troy-ounces.html

Provident metals has one dollar face value junk silver for $16.01 if you send them a money order. They ship you what's available. You might get quarters but most of my orders were dimes.


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