Best Silver for Prepping and Survival | Coins & Bars

One thought on “Best Silver for Prepping and Survival | Coins & Bars”

• 

  Jason

  July 16, 2023 at 5:01 pm

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  There are three types of stackers.
  A. The one who stacks for investing.
  B. The one who stacks for the collapse.
  C. The one who stacks for investing and the collapse.
  This is written for B and C.

  Let’s take a critical thinking look at the information about silver that’s out there.

  For all examples in this I’ll be using silver as the precious metal for trade, barter and purchase, and let’s run with a silver price of $24 an ounce just to make things easy. As for the word “numismatic,” I’m using it to define something that increases in value over time, like a sovereign, not just something dated 1933 or earlier.

  Oh no! The government and/or economy just collapsed! What now?

  Scenario 1
  Because we have been using the dollar system everything will continue in a dollars & cents fashion as far as the price of goods go, but we will use silver as the main form of currency, not the fiat currency that collapsed and no longer has any value to it.

  Scenario 2
  Because silver is minted in 1 ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce coins and rounds the price of goods will be based on these fractions.

  As those who don’t know about silver and the fractions that silver is minted in learn about silver, I see Scenario 1 fading away into Scenario 2. It will be easier to say, “That’ll be a quarter ounce (or half ounce or 4 ounces or .35 of an ounce).” If they say, “That’ll be $13.23” then we have to stop and figure out what that’s going to be in fractions of an ounce. So, we’re going to run with Scenario 2 for the rest of this.

  Supply and demand
  There’s a guy at a coin and bullion dealer in Atlanta, GA that says we’ll be able to buy a loaf of bread for one junk dime. No. No we won’t. I just don’t see it.

  One 1960 junk dime was 0.08 of an ounce at minting. At minting it contained 0.07234 of a troy ounce of silver. In today’s world that’s $1.73616 worth of silver. Now remember all those junk silver coins were in circulation and have worn down so there is less silver in them than the original 0.07234 of an ounce. In today’s world bread is anywhere from $3 to $4 a loaf. So, no, you’re not going to be able to buy a loaf of bread with one junk dime that’s worth $1.74 in silver. If the economy collapses due to out of control inflation, or hyperinflation, how does he see a loaf of bread dropping in price to $1.74? Or does he see the gold/silver ratio going back to 12:1 like in the days of the Roman Empire? (The gold/silver ratio is currently around 82:1, meaning it takes 82 ounces of silver to equal 1 ounce of gold). Do I need to go into the numbers about his saying we’ll get a gallon of gas for one junk quarter? Same, same.

  Now let’s actually talk about supply and demand. Where do we get our bread from at the grocery store? From an industrial bakery that employs dozens of people per location. When doomsday hits and the fiat (US) dollar is worth $0.00, how is that company going to pay its employees for their work? They can’t. So they aren’t going to open the doors to let them in to work. No more bread on an industrial scale. No supply, high demand. This is yet another reason I do not see one junk dime buying a loaf of bread. The price is going to skyrocket. And what about the supply chain that brings flour, other ingredients, bags and twist ties to the bakery? Do I need to go into the refinery and its employees who make fuel? Same, same.

  If he’s talking about buying a homemade loaf of bread with that one junk dime, he’s still off. Think about the ingredients it takes to make a loaf of bread, and the supply and demand of those ingredients. Think about the electricity it takes to bake it, assuming we still have electricity. If they are running the oven off of a generator, that generator takes fuel. If someone made and sold a homemade loaf of bread for one junk dime that person just lost “money.” They might sell one thin slice for one junk dime, maybe, but not a whole loaf.

  Only because I’ve been bagging on the junk dime, junk quarter and junk silver, let me touch on one more thing Mr. Atlanta said. When talking about Morgan silver dollars he brought up the point that a Morgan is only 0.7745 of an ounce of silver (at minting), but that you would still most likely be able to use it as a one ounce piece. No. Let’s say I sell eggs three for one ounce. If he came to me wanting to buy three eggs and put down a Morgan what do you think I would do? Exactly! I would pull one egg out of that little pile. Why? Because I’m selling three eggs for one troy ounce of silver, not three eggs for 0.7745 of an ounce of silver (and remember, it’s worn so there is even less silver than that). No, a Morgan is not going to most likely be able to be used the same way a one ounce sovereign or round is. Along the same vein, the pre-1965 Walking Liberty half dollars, .90 purity, are 0.715 ounces of silver in $1 face value. That means each half dollar is only 0.3575 of an ounce of silver. And of course those numbers are pre wear and tear. “Ah, but there is numismatic value to that Morgan or Walking Liberty” you say. And? If we’re to the point of using silver sovereigns and rounds to trade, barter and purchase goods with, all numismatic values have gone out the window. Every silver sovereign is only worth its melt weight. But we’ll talk about that…next?

  Numismatic value (and the US Silver Eagle)
  As I stated above, if we’re using silver sovereigns to trade, barter and purchase goods with, all numismatic values have gone out the window and every piece of silver, be it a sovereign or a round, is only worth it’s melt weight as .999 pure silver. So a numismatic $50 Morgan is only worth however much silver is left in it. A Morgan silver dollar that still has its original mint weight of silver is only worth $18.588. If you’ve bought Morgans for $19 or more to stack for doomsday, you took a bath.

  And that’s why we buy Silver Eagles, isn’t it? No. We buy Silver Eagles because they are US legal tender. But if the government and the economy collapses we won’t have a legal tender. Also, we hope that someday the price of silver will be $60 an ounce or more, or the numismatic value surpasses $60. Remember, you’re going to lose about $9 a coin when you sell it off to a bullion dealer. If you bought it for $40 a coin (when silver is only $24 an ounce) and you sell when silver (or the numismatic value of that Silver Eagle) is less than $56 an ounce, you just took a bath. If you want to buy eggs from me, they are 3 eggs for 1 troy ounce of .999 pure silver. I’m not going to treat a Silver Eagle any different than I would treat a Kangaroo, Britannia, Maple Leaf, Krugerrand or round from a reputable private mint. Why? Because that Silver Eagle is only worth its melt weight.

  Now look at the numismatic performance of the Silver Eagle compared to… the Krugerrand. The Silver Eagle goes up in numismatic value in the first couple years to $44.59. Then it stays there for the next 20 years regardless of what the price of silver does. 5 years after its mint date a 2018 Krugerrand is already worth $46.59. In another 5 to 10 years you’ll be able to sell off that Krugerrand for a nice little profit. Meanwhile the Silver Eagle is still only worth $44.59.

  Until a stable new government and currency is established the “investor/collectable” numismatic value of a piece of silver cannot actually exist. It will exist in theory, in holding if you will, during the time of collapse but will not actually affect or effect the price of that piece of silver during the collapse when buying, trading or bartering with it. So why would someone buy a Silver Eagle for $43 when it’s only going to be worth the going price of silver during the collapse? The only way you’re going to get your investment back on a Silver Eagle is if the collapse doesn’t happen and you live another twenty or thirty, or forty, years.

  US or foreign sovereigns
  If each coin is now only worth its melt weight, would it matter if a coin being used for trade, barter or purchase in the new silver commerce system is US or non-US minted? 1 troy ounce of .999 silver is 1 troy ounce of .999 silver no matter what country it comes from. And if it’s minted by a former government it’s a guaranteed weight and purity. It takes all the questioning out of the equation as to what the real weight is (we’re not going to walk around with scales) and what the purity is when using it. So no, to answer my own question, it’s not going to matter if that piece of silver was US or non-US minted. A sovereign is no more than a pretty 1 troy ounce piece of .999 silver, just like a round. It just happens to have the name of a former country on it.

  But, I get the feeling it is more practical to buy government issued 1 troy ounce sovereigns than it is to purchase 1 troy ounce rounds. If a government (US or otherwise) mints a bullion coin the weight and purity will not, should not, come into question as long as it’s printed in English. Not everyone reads German, Chinese, Armenian, Spanish, etc. On the flip side, if the looming economic collapse does NOT happen OR I make it through the collapse with some coins left they will appreciate in numismatic value, not just the price of silver bullion going up, thus a win-win situation. Right?

  One last thing. If doomsday comes, and someone is using nothing but Silver Eagles to trade, barter and purchase goods with, that guy is going to be followed home just like the guy who overpays using gold. He’s got more money than he knows what to do with and you know he’s got a pirate’s treasure chest full of Silver Eagles, and more than likely he also has gold stashed away. He just saw his last sunrise. Maybe rounds are better.

  Junk Silver
  I know, I know. “Here he goes again!” But you’ll find this very interesting.

  If you bought $1 face value of junk silver for $32, you just took a bath. If you can get a .999 pure silver one troy ounce Kangaroo, Britannia, Maple Leaf, Krugerrand or round for $33 or less but you purchased less than one ounce of .90 pure junk silver for $32… Bath.

  Another thing no one wants to do, I’m sure, is drag a scale around with them wherever they go or spend the time digging through a bag of junk silver until they can come up with a perfect weight amount to trade, barter or purchase something.

  If I’m selling eggs I’m going to have a sign that says, “If you pay with junk silver there will be a 20% surcharge for wasting my time!” (I think I’ll have a pile of shirts printed up with that saying and sell them for a one ounce sovereign or round).

  “Ah, but junk silver can be used to fill in the gap between the fractions of minted silver rounds” you say. Yes, you are right. But you’re still carrying around a scale and a bag of junk silver. You can buy tenth ounce rounds, they will be very useful actually. But only buy them when they are on sale. And quarter ounce rounds will be very useful. But only buy them when they are on sale. But I’m not going to buy a lot of tenth or quarter ounce rounds. Half ounce rounds will be very useful. If I have to over pay a little for something during the collapse, so be it. Or, I’ll just add one or two more slices of homemade bread to my purchase so I end up with a bill that meets one of silver’s fractions. I don’t think the seller will mind taking the time to cut me another slice or two. After all, I’m paying him with .999 fine silver. Not that .90 junk. But as far as the gap, Scenario 1 will fade, quickly, into Scenario 2. If you’re way more worried than you should be about the fractional gaps, buy some silver in little 1 gram squares.

  There’s another guy who says in his article the top 5 best silver coins for survival are 90% silver dimes, 90% silver quarters, junk silver half dollars, 1 ounce silver rounds and 1 ounce Silver Eagles. In that section of his article he says the dimes, quarters and half dollars are good for the survival situation because they are “real US currency” and “have a face value.” Earlier in his article he states, “If the world were to end, then the currencies of governments would certainly lose any claim to objective value…Without a country to back them, how would United States Dollars be worth anything at all?” Going back to the dimes, quarters and half dollars being real US currency and having a face value, what he just said is a total contradiction. The fact that they are real US currency and have a face value means nothing if the government collapses, as he stated earlier. In his section about the top 5 best silver coins for survival, he too, like Mr. Atlanta, says a junk dime will get you 1 loaf of bread or 1 gallon of milk, a junk quarter will get you 2 loaves of bread or 2 gallons of milk, a junk half dollar will get you 4 loaves of bread or 4 gallons of milk. See the previous section on supply and demand.

  Another problem with junk silver having a face value and being US legal tender is people who know nothing about junk silver are not going to treat it as silver, but as its face value and from a collapsed government. The older generation of coin collectors know what junk silver is. Those who have dealings with silver know what junk silver is. But if you put a 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010 dime or quarter in front of a non-collector or your average everyday citizen and ask them to pick out the ones with silver in them they aren’t going to be able to do it. I bet most of them would say, “There’s real silver in some of those?” But my guess is that they will pick the 1990, 2000 and 2010 because they are shinier. So, junk silver having a face value minted on them may actually hurt their being used for trade, barter and purchase with those people who don’t have a clue about the 4.5 pound bag of old coins you’re carrying around.

  And now for the real kick in the pants. As stated above, one 1960 junk dime was 0.08 of an ounce total weight at minting. At minting it contained 0.07234 of a troy ounce of silver. In today’s world ($24 per troy ounce) that’s $1.73616 worth of silver. So if you buy $1 face value of ten junk silver dimes you are paying $32 for 0.7234 troy ounces of silver that is worth $17.36. Less than three quarters of an ounce of silver for $32? And these numbers are before wear and tear on the coin which will make the total weight of 10 junk dimes even less than 0.7234 ounces of silver. Bath, bath, bath, bath! BATH! A complete and total waste of money. If you buy a $100 face value bag of .90 junk silver coins at the best possible (e)Check price of $2,595.45 you end up paying $25.95 per $1 face value. $25.95 for $17.36 worth of silver. But remember you’re still getting less than an ounce of silver in that $1 face value group of worn coins. And that $100 face value bag only contains +/- 71.5 ounces of silver that is roughly worth $1,241.24. Meanwhile with that $2,595.45 you could’ve bought 82 one ounce Krugerrands. Or 148 half ounce rounds (74oz). Or 235 quarter ounce rounds (58.75oz). Or some combination thereof. And all of those things are .999 silver. There are some places you can get a $100 face value bag for around $2,300. But it’s all still the same. Do the math.

  In the long run are we going to be forced to deal with junk silver? Yes. Because almost every article and blog post out there tells us junk silver is what to invest in for the doomsday collapse. “It’s legal US tender and has a face value,” they say. No, it’s not legal tender and the face value means nothing because the government/economy doesn’t exist anymore! They are telling us to spend stupid amounts of our hard-earned money ($2,600) on a stupid product ($1,200 worth of impure silver). Think about supply and demand. Do the math. Don’t just read or watch something and think to yourself, “Yeah, that’s the way to go ‘cuz that guy said so!” Use what’s called “critical thinking.” Google it. Use your batteries for your flashlights, don’t use them to power a scale. Do you want to get in and out doing a trade, barter or purchase, or do you want to spend the next half hour digging through your bag and playing with a scale? If I’m standing behind you wanting to purchase something using rounds or sovereigns, and you’re digging through your four-pound bag of junk silver I’m going to get impatient, especially if I’m trying to buy a roll of toilet paper. I have better things to do, and so do you! Nightfall is coming.

  But you say, “It’s not going to take a half hour.” Yes, it is. Whoever is accepting junk silver as a payment method is going to look at each coin to make sure it’s within the specified date range to make sure they aren’t getting ripped off. Remember, if you pay with junk silver there will be a 20% surcharge for wasting my time! If your junk silver is in a roll, it all has to be taken out so it can be weighed and date verified. Half hour, at least.

  Are junk silver and Silver Eagles legal US tender?
  As previously stated, if the government or the economy collapses then junk silver and Silver Eagles are not legal US tender. But what about right now? The government can argue this, but the answer is no. Can they be used as legal tender? Yes. But are they really? No. Why you ask? You can’t go to the bank and set down a $20 bill and get $20 face value of pre-1965 dimes, quarters and half dollars even though they say “United States of America” and have a face value minted on them. Nor can you go to the bank and set down a $20 bill and get 20 Silver Eagles that have “1 Dollar” stamped into them.

  I’ve already told you about going to the grocery store and trying to buy a $4 loaf of bread with a junk dime that has $1.74 worth of silver in it. Not gonna happen. But, what happens if you go to the grocery store and set down a $4 loaf of bread and try to pay for it with a Silver Eagle? I bet the conversation with the cashier will go something like this:
  Cashier: Sir, that bread is $4.
  You: I know, and that’s worth $24 (pointing at the Silver Eagle).
  Cashier: Sir, it says right here “1 Dollar.” I need three more dollars from you.
  You: No, I need $20 in change from you.
  Cashier: (takes ahold of the bread) Sir, take your coin and leave.

  A Silver Eagle is a commodity (a seriously overpriced commodity), not legal tender. Just like junk silver is a commodity (a seriously overpriced and impure commodity), not legal tender. And again, junk silver was taken out of circulation by the government decades ago. So, again, during the collapse it is not going to matter that junk silver says “United States of America” and has a face value. Just like a Silver Eagle will only be worth its melt weight. If you cannot trade a $1, $2, $5, $10, or $20 bill at the bank for its equivalent in junk silver or Silver Eagles, then junk silver and Silver Eagles are not legal tender. The government can argue this all they want, but they know it’s true, and so do you. Period. And anyone who says these two items are great to have stacked and ready for the collapse because they are “legal US tender” is just trying to scam out of your hard-earned cash. Period.

  Legal tender is something that is in circulation and you can trade smaller fractions for something larger, or something larger for smaller fractions. 100 dimes and 40 quarters for a $20 bill. A $20 bill for 100 dimes and 40 quarters. That is legal tender. But handing over $2600 for a $100 face value bag of pre-1965 dimes? Not legal tender. Commodity. Overpriced commodity. Handing over $40 for a one ounce .999 silver coin that says “1 Dollar” on it? Not legal tender. Overpriced commodity.

  So how do I see things and what do I see as being the best bang for my fiat buck?
  First, buy .999 1 oz coins and rounds, half ounce rounds and quarter ounce rounds. If you can get a sleeve of fifty 1/10 oz rounds on sale go ahead and do it, but these are definitely not a priority. If they aren’t on sale, forget it. Sovereigns will increase in numismatic value if doomsday doesn’t come. If doomsday does come, they are stamped by a (former) government with weight and purity. Rounds from a reputable mint, stamped with weight and purity, are good for the trade, barter and purchase system. Especially if they have some anti-counterfeiting technology like Sunshine Mint’s MintMark SI. Should there be a specific ratio of 1 ounce sovereigns to 1 ounce rounds? That’s up to you and what your reason for stacking is.

  Second, stay as far away from junk silver and Morgans as possible. Total waste of money. Less ounces for the same price, or worse, as a one ounce coin or round. I’ll say it again: “If you pay with junk silver there will be a 20% surcharge for wasting my time!” If you want to get soaked, jump in a pool. Don’t do it financially with junk silver.

  Third, stay as far away from Silver Eagles as possible, unless you’re totally and completely sure you’re going to live for the next 30 years AND doomsday won’t happen. Silver Eagles are a total waste of money if you’re buying them for the upcoming collapse of the government and/or economy. Remember, if the government collapses the government can’t back its printed and minted money. The fact that it says “United States of America” and is a US legal tender means nothing in a collapsed world. That’s why we’re trading, bartering and purchasing with silver. See another sunrise.

  Forth, because the numismatic values will go out the window during the doomsday collapse, it’s ok to buy the coins from foreign countries and rounds on sale at your favorite bullion dealer. In fact, in order to get the most silver for your fiat dollar, you should buy what’s on sale. If Krugerrands or Kangaroos are on sale, buy them. If the various Britannia sovereigns are on sale, buy them. If Maple Leafs are on sale, buy them. Or save up until your favorite sovereign does go on sale. Or save up until a sovereign with good numismatic performance goes on sale. Just make sure that whatever you’re buying is not much more expensive than a 1 oz round. Unless you have an affinity for a specific coin or round, which is fine (mine is the Krugerrand and Sunshine Mint), buy what’s on sale. I will make exceptions for buying Krugerrands if something is on sale or if I’m buying quarter ounce rounds which Sunshine doesn’t mint. But buying half ounce or quarter ounce rounds needs to be done only when they are on sale. Especially tenth ounce rounds! When doomsday comes are you going to want as much quality silver as possible or are you going to want a much smaller stack of Silver Eagles and a bag of junk silver you overpaid for? Let me ask that question another way; do you want to make it through doomsday, or do you want to be caught short handed? Only you can answer that question. Let’s do a little math. A Silver Eagle is $40. Everyone else’s sovereigns are $30. You have $120. You can buy 3 Silver Eagles or 4 other sovereigns. What gives you the same quality of silver, but more of it? Rhetorical question. Let’s run those numbers out a little further so we can really understand this. We naturally have a 3 to 4 ratio. So what’s next? 6:8. 6 Silver Eagles to 8 other sovereigns. Next is 12:16. 24:32. 48:64. 480:640. Wow! Do you want a monster box plus 140 of other sovereigns, or do you want 480 Silver Eagles (not quite a monster box)? Yes, you can get 160 more ounces of silver if you buy other sovereigns compared to 480 Silver Eagles. But hey, you keep buying Silver Eagles. That will leave more other sovereigns for me to get my hands on. Thank you.

  Fifth. At no point have I talked about 5 ounce or 10 ounce bars. Not because I don’t like them, but unless you’re making a somewhat major purchase they will be harder to use for everyday item purchases. Should you have a few of each on hand? Sure. Maybe something like a 10 to 1 ratio of 5 ounce bars to 10 ounce bars. Only you can answer the question of what a good ratio is for you. If you are looking at buying a 1 kilo or 100 ounce bar of silver, don’t. Buy gold. It’s way easier to carry around.

  Sixth. If everything collapses and we are running off of a new commerce system of silver ounces and fractional ounces, how do we adjust for the price amounts of goods that fall between the tenth ounces if it comes to that? Example: a loaf of bread is “$13.” A 1/2 ounce round is “$11.50” and a tenth ounce round is “$5.75.” If I hand over .60 ounces of silver I’ve overpaid. If I try to buy that loaf of bread with just a half ounce, the seller will tell me to take a flying leap. So, here is the real question: is this where 1oz copper rounds come in? Going back to the example, a half ounce silver round and one 1oz copper round equals “$13.” Everyone is happy. Do I think we’ll need a lot of copper rounds? No. Because I think most things will end up costing a fraction that silver is minted in. But you might get that one oddball here and there. Its projected the demand for copper is supposed to surpass the supply some time in 2026. Maybe copper will start to catch up to silver. Copper may be something to start looking into, in controlled amounts.

  So I’ve given examples. I’ve critically thought about situations and different products. I’ve even done the math for you. I invite you to do the math and triple check my numbers. Don’t take my word for any of this, like taking someone else’s word that we’ll be able to get a $4 or more loaf of bread for $1.74 worth of silver in a junk dime in a runaway inflationary economy. That is just not going to happen. You think critically about all this, too. Obviously I haven’t touched on the other items that will be worth more than gold in the collapse: toilet paper, ammo, canned goods and so on. This was just about silver.

  Honestly, after writing this, I get the feeling junk silver is just a scam. That’s what the numbers point to. A few folks are getting rich at the expense of others. Multiple times I’ve read, “Junk silver is a great way to start investing in silver.” $1,200 dollars’ worth of .90 silver being sold for $2,600? That’s not an investment, it’s a rip off. They are intentionally short changing you. If, instead, I buy those 82 Krugerrands for $2,600 I’ll have $1,968 worth of .999 silver. Junk silver is a scam. It makes better sense to buy tenth ounce rounds on sale.

  So what do you do with all that overpriced junk silver you bought? It’s up to you if you want to take the hit selling it back to a bullion dealer. Or you could just hang onto it and try to use it. Or, if you’re feeling really froggy, you can very carefully turn it into .999 silver. Are you destroying US currency? I’m not sure that you are since it was taken out of circulation decades ago and now you buy the stuff instead of exchanging a $20 bill for $20 worth of coins. I wouldn’t call it currency or legal tender, as I stated earlier. After you turn it into .999 silver I’m sure you can take it to a bullion dealer and sell it to them. They will test it and pay you for it. It’s reclamation, like pulling it out of electronics.

  What will the price of items be during the collapse? No one can say. No one. There are too many factors to take into account.
  1. Inflation just before the collapse (this sets the baseline for item prices)
  2. Supply (prices go up when supply goes down)
  3. The workforce producing items and the supply chain
  4. Demand (prices go up)
  5. The price of silver at and during the collapse
  6. Other things I’m sure that I just can’t think of right now.
  Are three eggs for one ounce too high or too low? It could be that one dozen eggs go for one ounce, or it could be that one egg goes for one ounce. We don’t know yet. Same with a loaf of bread, a gallon of gas. But as I’ve stated, you can’t get a loaf of bread in today’s world for one junk dime, so don’t believe the people who say you will be able to during the collapse.

  What is the best silver to invest in for the collapse? After taking multiple things into account, I believe it’s going to be 0.999 pure 1 ounce sovereigns, 1 ounce rounds (bars cost more than rounds), half ounce rounds, quarter ounce rounds and tenth ounce rounds. And maybe a couple hundred 0.999 pure 1 ounce copper rounds (bars cost more than rounds). But you only buy when something is on sale.

  Am I crazy and standing out in left field all by myself? Read this a second time before you judge me. Let it all soak in.

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