An Introduction to Buying Silver 101

- September 10, 2019 -

This article is a follow-up to our last blog which discussed the merits of owning physical gold. Both novices and long-time investors stand to benefit from a review of the basics of owning physical silver. The following list contains some, but not all, of the reasons to buy tangible silver. Some items on the list hold true for any precious metal, others are unique to silver.

1. The most obvious reason to own silver is its comparative affordability. As I write this it’s possible to own physical silver for less than $20.00 per troy ounce. As a point of reference, gold is currently 80 times more expensive than silver. We frequently mention to our customers that it’s far more likely for silver to double in value to $37.00 than it would be for gold to double in value to $3000.00 per ounce. Simply put, if your primary motivation for buying precious metals is profit, silver offers you the best opportunity for appreciation.
2. Silver is more of a commodity than gold. It has numerous practical uses in the fields of technology and medicine amongst others. Whereas virtually all of the gold mined throughout history is above ground and accessible, most of the silver ever mined is gone, much of it inaccessible in landfills, too expensive to recycle. Estimates of the above ground quantities of gold and silver vary wildly but all agree the accessible silver on this planet is far less than the current silver to gold 80:1 price ratio suggests. Based on supply considerations only, gold is either obscenely over valued or silver is grossly undervalued. We tend to believe the latter is true.
3. If gold, platinum and palladium continue to trend higher many investors will choose to buy silver simply because the other metals are no longer in the average buyer’s budget. This point was touched on in our first pro silver argument. However, in this scenario silver would likely rise due to higher demand. In a precious metals bull market silver could become or already is ‘the only affordable game in town’ for many precious metal buyers.
4. Readily available smaller units of silver would be far more useful in an unlikely but possible currency devaluation or financial collapse as well as during, God forbid, a natural disaster or war. Along the same lines, silver’s liquidity during a short-term financial crisis, whether it be unexpected bills or a medical emergency, makes it far more practical than its more expensive counterparts, gold, palladium and platinum.

There are numerous other reasons to own tangible silver, but many of these reasons apply to all precious metals, not just silver. I’ll review a few of them:

1. Purchasing and owning tangible silver can be legally anonymous, especially if purchased through Jack Hunt Gold & Silver.
2. Unlike bank deposits, equities, Treasuries and other paper investments, physical silver cannot default, go broke or file for bankruptcy.
3. Physical silver is real…it is tangible. Currency, equities, Treasuries, etc., are just paper and promises from the issuer.

In conclusion it should be said that asset diversification is more important than ever in our turbulent and confusing times. We believe that a balanced portfolio should contain some traditional assets such as real estate, equities, bank accounts and cash. However, we strongly believe that a moderate percentage of one’s liquid assets be in precious metals. The non-commissioned professionals at Jack Hunt Gold & Silver would be happy to assist you in any form of precious metal related transactions.