Expanding Your Stash - Foreign SILVER

[Country]

We all know about the high premiums we have to pay on ASEs, Maples, and now many generic rounds. It seems that many of the old European 19th and 20th century SILVER coins, the stuff that has actually circulated years ago, still sells at a minimal to large discount to spot. Further, the well circulated coins might be far less counterfeited than the shiny rounds you buy too. I'm seeing widely known SILVER coins from GB, France, Netherlands, and others sell cheap, and they seem to be a good bargain. The possibility of SILVER moving much higher might mean that by buying quantities of foreign SILVER might mean you'd get more bang for your buck.

What's your opinion? Do you buy foreign SILVER at a discount? If you buy foreign SILVER, do you limit your buying to certain countries?

How much less than spot does the foreign SILVER have to be before you pull the trigger? Do you consider a wear factor, like you would when buying worn 90% US coins?

[Thogey]

I try to steal as much as I can.

Get a Krause book and watch how fast it pays for itself.

I love Mexican and GB. I stay away from chinese, too much counterfeit out there.

[aloneibreak]

i stack aussie silver when i can - i sell off the rest

like eric said, get a krause book

even an old edition still has the purity and weight

[AGgressive Metal]

Good countries are Netherlands (.720), France (.835), Aussie (.925 and .500), British (.925 and .500), Mexico (varies, lots of .720), Panama (.900), Cuba (.900), Belgium (.835), Switzerland (.835), and many others.

[Country]

As you know, I buy foreign SILVER. I think I've got the Krause memorized by now.

However, what I'm interested in is when do you buy your foreign SILVER. For me, if I can get it at a 15% discount from spot or better, I buy it. For the worn stuff, like the worn sterling coins from GB, I have to assume that the large coins will have 5% wear, and the smaller stuff can be 10% worn.

Do you think that when SILVER is $100 TOZ, the foreign SILVER from the good countries, will be given equal status to 90%? Will SILVER in any coin be looked upon as stackable when that happens?

How about fineness? Some Mexico SILVER is only 10% (the 1960s big pesos) - 30% (the 1950's 25 centavos) fine. Would you buy it, when you can get European SILVER coins 64%-92.5% at the same discount to spot? Does it matter if most stackers know the SILVER content in the coin?

[beauanderos]

As you know, I buy foreign SILVER. I think I've got the Krause memorized by now.

However, what I'm interested in is when do you buy your foreign SILVER. For me, if I can get it at a 15% discount from spot or better, I buy it. For the worn stuff, like the worn sterling coins from GB, I have to assume that the large coins will have 5% wear, and the smaller stuff can be 10% worn.

Do you think that when SILVER is $100 TOZ, the foreign SILVER from the good countries, will be given equal status to 90%? Will SILVER in any coin be looked upon as stackable when that happens?

How about fineness? Some Mexico SILVER is only 10% (the 1960s big pesos) - 30% (the 1950's 25 centavos) fine. Would you buy it, when you can get European SILVER coins 64%-92.5% at the same discount to spot? Does it matter if most stackers know the SILVER content in the coin?

When silver reaches that price, all forms of silver-content-in-coins will have gained in recognition, and silver content coins from any source will be coveted. Ebay is international, so buyers from the countries you stack will bid up the price of their own old coins, moreso than Americans would. Residents of each country who, in the past, issued silver content coinage would, presumably, be most comfortable stacking that form of silver first and foremost, and then, secondarily, acquire one ounce rounds most recognized globally from other countries. I wouldn't be surprized to see the Mints of many other nations begin to issue their own silver one ounce rounds as the price of silver draws more focus.

[AGgressive Metal]

How about fineness? Some Mexico SILVER is only 10% (the 1960s big pesos) - 30% (the 1950's 25 centavos) fine.

I say stay away from the Mexican 10%! My local dealer said all the silver in those is on the outside, not an evenly mixed alloy. So you are going to lose a disproportionate amount from wear. It was done that way to give them a silver appearance without using much silver.

[97guns]

the only foreign stuff i have is mexican 5 peso and 25 peso olympic coins that i snagged for a really good price. i havnt even bothered looking at the other foreign stuff because im not familiar with them, i guess i need to buy a used krauss from ebay.

[blackrabbit]

Yep I agree with getting a Krause book. I got a couple for different centuries over a year ago and have a nice stash of really old foreign silver for spot or under. With the move in the silver price I am patting myself on the back for my purchases. Also, I really like the historical aspect to the world silver coins and figuring out what the political economy was like at that time and place. They are fun, but check the weights and other details so you don't buy a fake Chinese made "old silver" coin. I have seen fake old French coins and French colonial indochina coins, as well as fake Mexican coins. Almost all the fakes weights will be off so that is one of the first things you should check, also magnet check them.

[HPMBTT]

Hmm, interesting. I may have to look into a Krause book. Other than Amazon, are there any other sources where I can find them?

When buying foreign silver online, such as an auction site (ie FeeBay), I personally would be hesitant to buy at all, as it's not face-to-face and there isn't an opportunity to weigh it, let alone determine if it's a fake or not. Sure, one can argue that they have tons of positive feedback, but even the most well-intentioned seller is still human and can make mistakes and not know if the coin is a fake or not.

Blackrabbit: For testing them with a magnet...what are you looking for? If a coin has silver, would the coin be attracted to the magnet or not attracted to it?

[97guns]

ive seen the krause books on ebay for around $5 shipped, they are used but i dont care. as for buying on ebay and worrying about getting burned it does not concern me at all. i got burned for $6500 in gold maples and my chase card immediately made it right without any questions.

[Roadrunner]

I like British/British colonies foreign silver and I do buy when "The Price is Right"

[TXBullion]

I dont do foreign silver. I like the recognizable US that I know I could sell for XX dollars very easily if I needed to. I really think its awesome that you guys are able to find some foreign Ag for below spot (decent amounts too!). I hope to one day be able to learn whats what so I can get those deals I hear about. I do have some German Silver that was passed down from family members and I treasure those but more for sentimental reasons.

[uthminsta]

are there any other sources where I can find them?

I recently got 2 volumes for free (they come each century in its own volume) from the local coin shop. Of course not everyone is going to get that same deal. A lot of time they can be had for $10 or less though. They were buying the new editions to replace their old ones. So the ones I have are from 2-5 years back, but that's not really a problem. I have the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st century catalogs. I would suggest you start with the most obvious, the 20th century one, and then maybe consider a 19th century if you really get into it.

By the way, this means if you have a coin and want to know about it, and don't have that volume yet... there are a few guys on here who have them and most of us would gladly help you find info on something...

[Rexor]

Foreign silver, cheapest place to store some wealth if you are afraid of devaluation. I don't know if it is the best but I have never really had trouble selling the stuff on Ebay. I am trying to get some reputation here so I can start selling without the heavy fees . My basic rule is buy as cheap as possible, duh. But I never pay more than melt minus shipping. Surprisingly I still lose most auctions with that plan and often these lots are bid well above melt. That may be because it is not uncommon to find valuable coins in these lots. I have paid off entire lots selling a single coin. A big part of the fun of large foreign lots is the scavenger aspect and in my experiene they are not all picked through with a fine tooth comb.

[blackrabbit]

If it sticks to a magnet it is iron or nickel and not silver! Your coin should not react at all to the magnet. If it does it is a fake!

[soundman]

I try to stick to anything that is at least .800 or finer. I started doing this after a reputable dealer near me (Silvertowne) stated they would only buy bullion that is .800 or better. I will buy lesser if a coin interests me for numismatic reasons. I have been burned by some fake .900 5 peso mexican on Feebay. The seller was American and didn't normally deal in coins and refunded my purchase. A few months ago I got some good deals on ecrater.com on some British sterling.

[AdamsSamoa]

Picked up some .925 proof commeratives from samoa on thu. They are pretty

[Hawkeye]

Do the Krause books give coin compositions? If so, I have got to get them because I am tired of trying to find information on the composition of some random Swedish coin from 1904 or whatever. A book with all of that information in one place would be make me a very happy guy. I like buying random old silver coins, but don't do it often because of my uncertainty.

[Country]

Do the Krause books give coin compositions? If so, I have got to get them because I am tired of trying to find information on the composition of some random Swedish coin from 1904 or whatever. A book with all of that information in one place would be make me a very happy guy. I like buying random old silver coins, but don't do it often because of my uncertainty.

Yes they do. Try and get a used one from your local coin shop.

Since you don't have one yet, try this website for info:

http://secure.numismaster.com/ta/Coins.admin?rnd=QAICTEUZ&@impl=coins.ui.ucatalog.flat.UiControl_MyPriceGuides&@windowId=TCWPH

[Joogaler]

Tell me if I got a deal on this lot.

Netherlands
(1) 2 1/2 Gulden (1960)
(3) 1 Gulden (1956, 58, 59)
(1) 25 cent (1941)

I used Numismaster to figure out the total silver weight which is .8723 ounces of silver. Which would put the value at $25.47 at current melt.
Picked it up for $17.66 shipped.

Deal or no deal?

[Hawkeye]

Do the Krause books give coin compositions? If so, I have got to get them because I am tired of trying to find information on the composition of some random Swedish coin from 1904 or whatever. A book with all of that information in one place would be make me a very happy guy. I like buying random old silver coins, but don't do it often because of my uncertainty.

Yes they do. Try and get a used one from your local coin shop.

Since you don't have one yet, try this website for info:

http://secure.numismaster.com/ta/Coins.admin?rnd=QAICTEUZ&@impl=coins.ui.ucatalog.flat.UiControl_MyPriceGuides&@windowId=TCWPH

Wow, thanks- that's great. I will definitely pick up a book and use that site. I'm still pretty new to this and appreciate any advice!

[Country]

Tell me if I got a deal on this lot.

Netherlands
(1) 2 1/2 Gulden (1960)
(3) 1 Gulden (1956, 58, 59)
(1) 25 cent (1941)

I used Numismaster to figure out the total silver weight which is .8723 ounces of silver. Which would put the value at $25.47 at current melt.
Picked it up for $17.66 shipped.

Deal or no deal?

Excellent: spot-30% . Very nice pickup on your part. I would note that most Netherlands SILVER is 72% fine.

I like to pay no more than spot-10% for my foreign SILVER bullion coins. When you eventually sell, you will most likely be selling at a discount to spot too. It's sort of like buying 40% halves. You wouldn't pay full spot for them, but you would buy them at spot-20%. Best of Luck....

[Joogaler]

Tell me if I got a deal on this lot.

Netherlands
(1) 2 1/2 Gulden (1960)
(3) 1 Gulden (1956, 58, 59)
(1) 25 cent (1941)

I used Numismaster to figure out the total silver weight which is .8723 ounces of silver. Which would put the value at $25.47 at current melt.
Picked it up for $17.66 shipped.

Deal or no deal?

Excellent: spot-30% . Very nice pickup on your part. I would note that most Netherlands SILVER is 72% fine.

I like to pay no more than spot-10% for my foreign SILVER bullion coins. When you eventually sell, you will most likely be selling at a discount to spot too. It's sort of like buying 40% halves. You wouldn't pay full spot for them, but you would buy them at spot-20%. Best of Luck....

Ok I think I'm good then, was one of those deals I thought was too good to be true.This is my first foreign silver buy, this thread inspired me.

[Quagmire]

I am quite partial to Queen Victoria half crowns as well as Edward VII and George V although only the .925 for the reign of George V. Would like to buy some if anyone wants to make a deal.