Finance Thread - What stocks are you in, etc.

[Trunk Monkey]

What's the opinion regarding precious metals?

My brother has long insisted on investing in silver, though I'm not much on commodities as investment. To date I've got a examples of each of the primary precious metals (silver, gold, platinum), though mostly to satisfy an academic desire to have examples of each metal and less to invest in them.

Examining the last 30 years, it looks like gold and the market have matched each other's pace overall, accepting rises/dips in each (often opposing each other)... but I feel like putting a dollar into the market is a better use of it than buying gold. Despite that, there is a certain appeal to the tangible (shiny!) nature of metals.

How does your brother invest in silver and how has that worked out for him? IMHO you're smart to stay away from commodities. I agree with putting a dollar in the market is a much better investment than the shiny stuff.

Looking briefly at the SLV (iShare Silver) it's up only 152% since inception in 2007. IMHO There are a lot of better places to put that money that have returned much more over that time period.

 

[theterminator93]

I think he bought up a lot of silver and has been selling it off to feed his bad habits. My brother is a moron, lol. He's 35 this fall and still lives with our parents in their mid-70s who aren't very financially secure. He has no income, hasn't worked in 5 years and hasn't shown any interest in getting back into the job market - despite plenty of opportunities and connections laid at his feet by family.

Thanks for the reassurance. I'll continue to treat the precious metals as a mere fascination instead of a potential financial vein.

 

[dDUBb]

Back in 2003 when I worked at the bank, I managed to find a bunch of 90% half dollars ( Kennedy 64, Franklin, and Walking Liberty varieties. Bought them for face value ( 0.50 ) even though spot price was around $5-6 / oz. at that time. 20 years later; spot value is around $36 / Oz. Aside from their silver content value, these tend to have a slightly higher collector value.

More recently, on June 13th the US mint offered a 2025 American Eagle silver dollar [ face value $1 ) .. with the US Army 250th anniversary privy mark for $105; limited to 100k; they sold out in 3 hours and are selling for upwards of $600.

 

[theterminator93]

I used to nab noteworthy coins from the till when I worked cash registers during my retail days. I would pick out the nicest uncirculated specimens from fresh rolls for my Whitman folders and occasionally I'd find something noteworthy. A few buffalo nickels, a few silver dimes and even an Indian head penny. Sometimes I wished I could've sifted through everyone else's tills.

 

[dDUBb]

I would pick out the nicest uncirculated specimens from fresh rolls for my Whitman folders and occasionally I'd find something noteworthy. A few buffalo nickels, a few silver dimes and even an Indian head penny.

I have quite a few of those. The 1850s variety bronze Indian head pennies threw me off a bit. With the US ending production of the penny; I may be able to come to a closure with this collector business. It's for fun, by no means would I consider my penny collection valuable. Im more focused on the quarters at the moment but these rexent American women's series aren't very exciting. Biggest problem is that 90% of my coins tend to be from the Denver mint. Hello anybody got some Philadelphia coins to trade ??

Bottom line .. gold / silver bars will only be as valuable as their market price ( which will continue to rise ) .. gold and silver coins tend to have a higher resale or collector value.

 

[Vicinity]

I like grabbing silver coins, figuring the cost is justifiable because I can resell them later if I need to. Hopefully I'd never need to, which means the coins probably won't actually do anything for me. Hard to imagine a situation where a couple hundred dollars will dig me out of situation. Say there is desperation, i'd be quicker to sell it under its value

They are cool though. I like non-silver eisenhauers dollar coins, the weight and size is neat. If you give one to somebody, they have a really big smile for something that is really worth 1 (maybe 3) dollar

 

[theterminator93]

Yeah, my hobby is passive and it comes in spurts. I am behind; I was current up until 2015 or so then I went on hiatus for a while. Lately I've just been buying the uncirculated sets from the mint directly. For the longest time as a kid I was OBSESSED with the 1943 copper penny.

I don't think the recent quarters are any good either. The American Innovation set looks interesting though I haven't got any of them. I had one of those giant 50-state quarters maps that folded in half with a slot in each state for each quarter. I had been religiously collecting each state as it came out. Theeeeeen my brother stole them (and many other coins I had at that time) from me and used them for drug money, claiming it was an "ex friend" who swiped them. Yeah, right.

 

[Vicinity]

I remember the first time I saw the Iowa effigy mounds quarter. My first thought was "what the hell is this" and then I showed it to my bartender who had a similar reaction