'nother semi dumb ? from a newbie

[Mark]

Hey guys, I was looking at some ingots on e-Bay and noticed that there seemed to be a trend of particular assayed ingots going for 2 and 3 times what the "normal" price for 1 oz of, say another, assayer's silver. For example; for a generic 1 oz "Pan American" struck ingot, the asking price is, maybe $60 or $70, while maybe for a "Monarch" struck ingot they're asking $40, then if you look on the APMEX website, they're asking $34 (bulk, of course - ha). They are all the exact size, weight (duh), configuration - pretty much identical in every way except for the assayer's mark. I could see if it were coinage, that some intrinsic value maybe added, but what I'm seeing is the exact same pieces of silver have different asking prices. Some even double what others are. I know on e-Bay these are "asking" prices, but why would a certain assayer's be worth more than others. I saw this in JM and Engelhard vs. APMEX when I first got into collecting about a month ago.
Thanks

 

[Penn]

Stick with name brands.

 

[Mark]

Ya know, you can buy bullion from APMEX and pay very little over spot on "Sunshine" and "APMEX" stamped ingots. Why would I pay twice as much for the same ingot, but instead of "Sunshine's" logo on it, it's got, say a B-52 Bomber on it?
I don't know, I really don't know. Sometimes, well... what can I say?

 

[Penn]

in the end- you will cash in this silver. therefore it has to be in recognizable form.

yes- we all have our coins for pretty- and that is fine- but for the bilk of the stack- stick to the name brands tried and true- easy to cash in type.

coins for pretty are ok- but do not confuse this with the reason why you stack.

 

[HCA1961]

Mark, I have a wide and varied assortment of silver because I tend to scour the web stores for the cheapest premium per ounce on the day that I am buying. I prefer American silver eagles, but they tend to have a fairly expensive premium over spot. One good reason for sticking to ASEs, and name-brand silver bars to a lesser extent, is that they will probably be more readily accepted by coin shops and dealers should you decide to sell them.

Like Penn said, stick to name brand stuff.

 

[benjamen]

Ya know, you can buy bullion from APMEX and pay very little over spot on "Sunshine" and "APMEX" stamped ingots. Why would I pay twice as much for the same ingot, but instead of "Sunshine's" logo on it, it's got, say a B-52 Bomber on it?
I don't know, I really don't know. Sometimes, well... what can I say?

In the metals/coin world you can focus on either the metal content or the collectability of items. The B-52 Bomber item is trying to be sold as a collectable item. If you are like me, and all you care about is the metal content, ignore the over priced items and look for the lowest premiums.

:wave:

 

[pmbug]

You won't need an assay certificate for 1oz silver if your ingot is from a well known and respected mint. Heck, there are a lot of 1ozt silver products that don't provide any indication of who minted them and they are readily accepted by most PM dealers.

IMO, assay is going to matter more when you are talking about gold bars.

 

[Mark]

I see. You'd pay more for Engelhard than "Bobs Bullion" 'cause it will always be recognized. And correct, stay away from "collectibles". I guess if you had to cash it in and told the broker, "But I paid $50.00 over spot 'cause it's a B-17 Commemorative". He's gonna say, "Too bad, it's only worth current spot value. Wow! I can't see paying a premium for intricacy.
Thanks.
Now let me go buys some bullion. I see on e-Bay where I can get a good deal from "Larry's Precious Metals and Bait".

 

[HCA1961]

I see on e-Bay where I can get a good deal from "Larry's Precious Metals and Bait".

:rotflmboMark!

 

[mmerlinn]

Now let me go buys some bullion. I see on e-Bay where I can get a good deal from "Larry's Precious Metals and Bait".

I wonder if "Larry" is turning his lead fishing weights into silver plated ingots.:judge:

 

[silvercoinrn]

I find that buying local will give you the best deal. lowest premium and often even under spot.i found a guy who sold me a 14.5 oz bar for 250