Even though gold and silver are at high prices, I am concerned about the future of our economy and would like to buy more gold and silver coins. I would be interested in opinions regarding several issues: Is it better to buy gold and silver coins from a local coin shop, from an online site like Monex or somewhere else? Is there a reason to buy ingots rather than coins? Is it better to own gold or silver coins? Silver seems to be relatively cheaper now and the smaller denominations would be more practical in an economic collapse if the dollar became worthless. What about bags of junk silver instead of American Eagles? You can buy bags of old pre-1965 dimes and quarters for $16.51 an ounce vs. $18.14 for American Eagles. For anybody who thinks gold is going down to $500 an ounce, got any gold or silver you want to sell?
FWIW I haven't bought any lately, (last 3-4 months) but I've had good service from this place. https://online.kitco.com/ Redneck eta.. I stick mainly to bullion
i buy most of my metals from apmex.com they have a big selection and are very dependable. been buying threw them and a few others for years now, holding out for the big move
From the point of view of 'conveniently disributed stores of wealth' coins are hard to beat. I have been interested in bulliondirect but have not yet decided they meet my requirements. Junk silver has been my choice, from coin shops and ebay (great while Microsoft/ebay/paypal were offering either 25% or 30% rebates to US customers). I have not checked in the past couple weeks, but coin shops seemed to have dropped the spread on junk silver to about 10% (it hit 30% in November). You might like the gold spread better. Remember to choose a point of purchase that avoids sales tax. Often sales tax does not apply on 'large' or 'investor' purchases (defined by an arbitrary threshold such $1000 or $2000). The tax laws become strange here, so do your research.
ive bought from bulliondirect as well, they are also very good. but my first goto place is always apmex. i live in california where we get taxed to breathe the smog polluted air but apmex doesnt charge me tax, and only 20$ to insure any amount, they pick up the rest and shipping... both place are very good. there is one place to stay away from, northwest territorial mint. i have heard nothing but bad things from numerous people but have never dealt with them for myself. gold and silver pushing up afterhours...
I've used Bullion Direct many, many times and never had a problem. They also sell coins on ebay.. If you look them up, they conducted about 3000 transactions on ebay with 100 percent rating (no complaints against them)
I gotta check out bullion direct again for deals. Apmex is great overall, but I have not been putting in orders since I have been finding better deals elsewhere. Problem with Northwest Mint is that you will be waiting for your order for months. They have the best pricing on Silver rounds but even tell you that it will be 8-12 weeks. That's the only reason I never put in an order with them. They are a reputable mint & dealer though, not some scam shop.
There is much to be said for patronizing a local coin dealer. For example, where you gonna go if you need to sell some fast at a decent price?