Browsing Category

Bullion

2018 Mexican Silver Libertad Reverse Proof Set

2018 Mexican Silver Libertad Reverse Proof Set
Photo Credit: APMEX

2018 Mexican Silver Libertad Reverse Proof Set

Buy It Now Price: $208.32 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This superb 2018 Mexican Silver Libertad reverse proof set contains two one troy ounce coins: a standard proof version and its highly coveted, reverse proof twin.

-Each of the one troy ounce Mexican Silver Libertads in this set measure an impressive 40.0 mm (1.57 inches) in diameter.

-The coins’ obverse bear the 10 historical Mexican coat of arms.  The reverse shows the winged Greek personification of victory, Nike, against the backdrop of the famous Mexican volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl.

-A proof coin is struck from specially prepared dies under ideal conditions.  This creates a nearly perfect coin that has a desirable cameo effect, consisting of frosted devices set against high-contrast, mirrored fields.

-The rendition of the goddess Nike on this Mexican Silver Libertad reverse proof set is based on the landmark Angel of Independence statue located in central Mexico City.  It is widely considered to be among the most beautiful coin designs currently in production anywhere in the world.

-Reverse proofs are relative newcomers to the numismatic world, having first come to prominence in the mid-2000s.  The dies of a reverse proof are treated in such a way that the traditional proof effect is reversed, with mirrored devices set against frosted fields.

-This Mexican Silver Libertad reverse proof set is limited to just 500 sets.  The overall mintage of 2018 proof Mexican Silver Libertads is correspondingly low, with a total mintage of 10,000 specimens for the standard proof coin and a mere 1,500 for the reverse proof version (inclusive of the 500 sited above).

-This Mexican Silver Libertad reverse proof set comes in its original brushed metal and hardwood Banco de Mexico case.  I have long felt that good packaging positively impacts the future investment performance of modern coins, and this stylish contemporary case is among the best.

-The mintage numbers of these attractive silver coins are ridiculously low for a modern proof coin.  As a point of reference, the popular U.S.-issued American silver Eagle coin has a 2018 proof mintage of around 500,000 specimens.

-This Mexican Silver Libertad reverse proof set is exclusively distributed through the well-known bullion dealer APMEX.  You cannot get this unique set from any other precious metal dealer.

-Given their incredibly low mintages, stunningly good looks and modest pricing, I believe that Mexican Silver Libertad proof sets – much like their Gold Libertad proof counterparts – offer a credible investment opportunity to today’s intelligent tangible asset investor.

 

Cons:

-This 2018 Mexican Silver Libertad reverse proof set only contains 2 troy ounces of silver, resulting in an intrinsic value of around $30 (with the spot price of silver hovering near $15 an ounce).  At a buy-it-now price of $208, this means the set has a very high premium over its melt value – almost 600%.  These are definitely collector-oriented coins, as opposed to pure bullion pieces.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage bullion spotlight posts here.

-or-

Read in-depth Antique Sage investment guides here.

Hand-Poured 7.50 Troy Oz. Yeagermeister Silver Bar

Hand-Poured 7.50 Troy Oz. Yeagermeister Silver Bar
Photo Credit: Yeager’s Poured Silver

Hand-Poured 7.50 Troy Oz. Yeagermeister Silver Bar

Buy It Now Price: $183 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This 3-D, hand-poured Yeagermeister silver bar in the shape of a liquor bottle contains an impressive 7.50 troy ounces of .999 fine silver.

-Yeager’s Poured Silver, or YPS for short, is a company based in Hartford, Ohio that makes small batches of artisan hand-poured silver bars.  Founded in 2012 by its namesake, David Yeager, the firm designs and machines all of its bar molds in-house.

-The 7.50 troy ounce YPS silver bar is limited to a mintage of only 750 specimens.

-The name of this unique silver bar is a pun on Jägermeister, the iconic German alcoholic beverage.  First concocted in 1934, Jägermeister is a 70-proof, darkly-colored liquor made with 56 herbs and spices, including licorice, anise, saffron, ginger and citrus peel.

-At the current silver spot price of $15.70, this silver bar has a bullion value of about $118.  This gives it a premium of $65, or 55%, over spot.

–YPS is the Rolls Royce of modern hand-poured silver bars.  Their products consistently sell at healthy premiums over the spot price of silver in the secondary market.  And limited-edition YPS products – like this Yeagermeister silver bar – frequently sell for very high premiums compared to other silver bullion.

-This Yeagermeister silver bar is one of a set of three different Yeagermeister bars.  The other two are a one troy ounce bar (mintage limited to 1,000) and a 20 troy ounce bar (mintage limited to 100).  The 7.50 troy ounce version is the only one of the set that is a 3-D art bar.

-Every 7.50 troy ounce Yeagermeister silver bar is individually serialized (numbered).  In addition, each bar comes with an attractive antiqued finish, which highlights the design beautifully.  They are even engineered to be able to stand upright!  It is the superb execution of these small details that has led silver stackers and collector’s alike to fall in love with YPS silver bars.

-Given YPS’ incredibly strong brand and unparalleled eye for design, I believe this limited-edition Yeagermeister silver bar would make a great investment at an asking price of only $183.

 

Cons:

-If you are only looking for raw silver bullion, there are certainly cheaper ways to get it.  For example, it is possible to purchase a generic 10 troy ounce struck silver bar on APMEX right now for only 13% over spot – a far lower premium than the 55% on this YPS bar.  But to be fair, the generic silver bar will never have any collectible value, unlike this unique Yeagermeister silver bar.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage bullion spotlight posts here.

-or-

Read in-depth Antique Sage investment guides here.

Vintage Walking Liberty Half Dollar Roll

Vintage Walking Liberty Half Dollar Roll
Photo Credit: APMEX

Vintage Walking Liberty Half Dollar Roll

Buy It Now Price: $128.40 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This vintage Walking Liberty half dollar roll contains $10 face value of circulated U.S. 90% silver coins that were struck over 70 years ago.

-The Walking Liberty half dollar is a substantial coin, with a gross weight of 12.5 grams and a diameter of 30.6 mm (1.2 inches).  Like all pre-1965 U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars, it was struck from 90% silver for a net precious metal content of 0.3617 troy ounces per coin.  The entire roll is assumed to contain 7.15 troy ounces of silver (after accounting for a small wear allowance).

-The seller is APMEX – a well-respected precious metals dealer based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  APMEX is the world’s largest online precious metal retailer with aggregate sales of over $10 billion since its founding in 1999.

-Pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver coins are, without a doubt, the absolute cheapest way to buy fractional silver in the market today.  Junk silver is also widely recognized, making it an extremely liquid investment.

-Designed by the American sculptor Adolph A. Weinman, the Walking Liberty half dollar was minted between 1916 and 1947.  It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful coins in U.S. history – so much so that its portrayal of Liberty was resurrected in 1986 for use on the tremendously popular American Silver Eagle bullion coin.

-With silver trading at $14.64 per ounce, each Walking Liberty half dollar roll has a melt value of just under $105.  This means the rolls are selling for a premium over melt of just 22.6%, a very reasonable sum for such desirable semi-numismatic coins.

-Silver bullion is a tremendously undervalued asset in today’s market.  Consequently, junk silver is a fantastic way to protect yourself from the near-continuous depreciation that the U.S. dollar has experienced over the past 90 years.

-If you are interested in investing in silver, it is tough to go wrong with a vintage Walking Liberty half dollar roll.  These old coins will undoubtedly see strong future demand from both coin collectors and silver stackers.

 

Cons:

-This Walking Liberty half dollar roll contains semi-numismatic coins that are in average circulated condition.  This could include lower grade coins that are in VG-8, G-4 or even AG-3 condition.  For collectors looking for higher quality coins, APMEX has rolls of XF Walking Liberty half dollars available for about $170 each.

-This Walking Liberty half dollar roll is not the cheapest junk silver available.  A $10 face value roll of pre-1964 Washington quarters or 2 $5 face value rolls of pre-1964 Roosevelt dimes would cost you about $10 less.  However, a lot of people prefer the history and beauty of the Walking Liberty design and are willing to pay a small premium for them.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage spotlight posts here.

-or-

Read in-depth Antique Sage investment guides here.

10 Troy Oz. Vintage MSC Silver Bar

10 Troy Oz. Vintage MSC Silver Bar
Photo Credit: CAGoldandSilver

10 Troy Oz. Vintage MSC Silver Bar

Buy It Now Price: $269.99 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This vintage poured 10 troy ounce MSC silver bar from the 1970s or early 1980s has a classic loaf shape, making it highly desirable among antique silver bar collectors.

-The dimensions of this old MSC silver bar are 2.68 inches (68 mm) long by 1.06 inches (27 mm) wide by 0.67 inches (17 mm) high.

-Poured vintage silver bars have a wonderfully rugged, slightly irregular appearance that is quite attractive.  Minted between the 1960s and the 1980s, antique silver bars have recently become a booming numismatic niche.

-This 1970s era MSC silver bar only costs $27 per troy ounce, which is an excellent price for such a fine specimen.  You will generally have a tough time finding 5 and 10 troy oz sizes for less than $30 an ounce.  And the smaller 1, 2 and 3 oz bars are even more expensive on a per ounce basis.

-MSC silver bars have been verified to exist in 5, 10, 25 and 50 troy ounce sizes, in addition to some odd-weight variations.  Unfortunately, no other information about this now defunct precious metal fabrication company is currently available.  We don’t even know what the initials MSC stand for!  Hopefully future research will remedy this situation.

-Antique silver bars are a great alternative to traditional bank products like CDs, savings accounts or savings bonds.  Old silver bars allow you to stack wealth in a tangible form, while also adding return potential in the form of increasing collector’s value over time.

-The seller has multiple bars available.  This might not seem important at first glance.  But in the world of vintage silver bars, once a specimen sells, it can take months, or even years of frustration while searching for another one like it.  The fact that the seller has several MSC silver bars for sale means that even if you’re just stumbling across this web page a year or two after it was originally posted, there’s still a chance that one is in stock.

-These vintage bars are getting harder and harder to find as the decades pass.  This is because each time the price of silver spikes higher (as it last did in 2011), more of these classic bars find their way into the melting pot, never to be seen again.

-This MSC silver bar is a compelling alternative investment at a buy-it-now price of only $270.  For those of you on a tighter budget, I featured a less expensive 5 troy ounce Jackson Precious Metals vintage silver bar in a previous Spotlight post.

 

Cons:

-You generally get better value for your money in slightly larger vintage silver bullion bars.  Right now it is possible to pick up 20 and 25 troy ounce bars, as well as kilo (32.15 oz.) bars, for $20 to $30 a troy ounce, which is a stunning bargain.  However, I suspect this situation will be fleeting as the increasing popularity of these antique silver bars inexorably pushes prices up.

-Currently the spot price of silver is only about $14.25 an ounce, so you are paying a premium of almost 90% over this MSC silver bar’s melt value.  As the price of silver has declined this year, the value of vintage silver bars has not tended to decline with it.  This is either good news if you already own older silver bars or bad news if you are looking to buy more.  For those who want to pay prices closer to intrinsic value, modern artisan hand-poured silver bars may be an intriguing alternative.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage spotlight posts here.

-or-

Read in-depth Antique Sage investment guides here.