Is Silver The Next Big Play?

Above, 2023 King Charles III silver Britannias. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Those of us who invested in silver while its spot price was still in the $20s are in a good position to gain if the metal starts catching up with gold.

Newsmax posted an opinion article asking, "Is Silver The Next Big Play?"

It begins with:

Gold may be grabbing the headlines, but it’s silver that’s quietly setting up for a potentially explosive move. And history says it might be just around the corner.

Gold’s rally this year has been nothing short of historic. In just two weeks, prices jumped from $2,960 to $3,500 an ounce, a sharp reminder that when global uncertainty strikes, gold remains the ultimate safe haven. Over the past 12 months, gold is up 41% — a clear signal that investors are seeking shelter from inflation, geopolitical volatility, and mounting debt.1

But here’s what most investors are missing: silver hasn’t kept pace, yet.

Over that same period, silver has gained just 23%. That’s still better than the S&P 500’s modest 6% return, but the gold-to-silver price gap has widened dramatically. And whenever that happens, silver tends to play catch-up, fast.2

To read the full article, go here. 

4 Best Silver Coin Types To Buy

Above, 2023 Silver Britannia coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Buying precious metals (gold, silver and platinum) can be a great investment that also diversifies one's investment portfolio.

With that in mind, MSN posted an article on the four best silver coin types to buy in order to make money.

They begin with:

Silver coins are highly prized by dealers and collectors — not just because of their silver content, but also because they tend to be scarcer than coins minted with copper, nickel, zinc and other metals. The most valuable silver coins sell for millions of dollars, but even ones worth much less than that can turn a tidy profit.

Finding rare and valuable silver coins outside of dealers and auctions can be a challenge because there aren’t a ton in circulation anymore. The Coinage Act of 1965, signed by President Lyndon Johnson, eliminated 90% silver coins from circulation, according to a blog from ModernCointMart. That law mainly affected U.S. dimes and quarters. Half-dollar coins were still made with 40% silver from 1965 to 1970, but after 1970 no more circulating U.S. coins were made with silver.

You can find still find valuable silver coins on the collectibles market, however, and they might be a good investment. If nothing else, adding silver coins can help diversify your portfolio and give you a hedge against inflation and economic volatility. When spot price eventually rises, provided you have a low dollar cost average regarding your silver stack, you can sell for a profit.

If you are interested in buying silver coins, here are four basic types as listed by the United States Gold Bureau (USGB).

To read more, go here. 

Canadian Coins With King Charles's Image To Begin Circulating

Above, 2023 Britannia silver coins with King Charles III's image. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Royal Canadian Mint has announced that coins bearing the image of King Charles will soon be circulating.

According to the City News Edmonton:

WINNIPEG — The first Canadian coins bearing the face of King Charles are soon to be circulated across the country. 

The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg is set Tuesday to showcase its model of the King that will appear on one side of all Canadian coins.

The monarch’s effigy is also to be pressed onto a loonie for the first time at the mint. 

The mint says a small amount of 2023-dated coins with the King are to circulate in early December.

Some coins, such as the Royal Mint's 2023 Britannia silver coins, already have the King's image.

To read more, go here. 

Royal Mint Introduces First 2024 Britannia Bullion Coins

Above, the 2023 1oz Silver Britannia coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Royal Mint is already getting ready for 2024. They have introduced their first 2024 Britannia Bullion coins.

According to Coin News:

The Royal Mint has introduced the complete gold versions and the 1oz silver edition of their 2024 Britannia bullion coins.

Obverses of the coins showcase the official coinage portrait of King Charles III by Martin Jennings.

Created by Philip Nathan, the reverses of these bullion coins feature a rendition of Britannia, which has appeared on the Britannia bullion series since their debut in 1987. Britannia is portrayed with symbols that represent the values of the nation: a shield symbolizing protection, an olive branch symbolizing peace, and a trident symbolizing her maritime connections.  

Britannia 2024 bullion coins are available to order from The Royal Mint’s website.  

The 1kg, quarter-ounce, and tenth-ounce silver versions, along with the one-ounce platinum edition, are scheduled for release in late 2023. The tenth-ounce platinum coin will be available in early 2024.

To read more, go here. 

Gold and Silver: Modest Price Gains

Above, 2023 Britannia coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We're in a new week and the spot markets for gold and silver are now open.

The greenback is showing some weakness as the week begins, which is making gold and silver rise a bit.

From Kitco News:

(Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are a bit higher in early U.S. trading Monday. A weaker U.S. dollar index and a dip in U.S. Treasury yields are supportive for the metals market bulls today. However, the metals market bulls are pensive amid general marketplace sentiment that Federal Reserve monetary policy is likely to remain tight in the coming months, despite notions the U.S. and/or global economy could slip into recession. June gold was last up $4.20 at $1,994.90 and May silver was up $0.067 at $25.13. 

To read more, go here. 

Gold and Silver Prices Ease Slightly

Above, 2023 King Charles III Britannia coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Precious metals declined a bit yesterday. This is expected as the ebb and flow of the current financial situation has enough volatility to go around. At least silver and gold weathered the declines better than platinum and palladium.

As things turned out, my latest silver order arrived yesterday, a day earlier than expected.

According to Coin News:

On Wednesday, precious metals experienced losses, with platinum and palladium falling over 2% each while gold and silver posted modest declines. This came after the latter two metals reached around one-year highs in the prior session.

Gold for June delivery shed $2.60, or 0.1%, to settle at $2,035.60 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

"Gold and silver prices are near steady in midday U.S. trading Wednesday, on a bit of profit-taking pressure and chart consolidation after hitting 12-month highs overnight. Both metals are in strong technical positions to suggest still more upside in the near term," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Inc, said in a daily research note.

Having advanced by 1.9% on Tuesday for their highest settlement since March 8, 2020, gold futures on Wednesday traded between $2,026.10 and $2,049.20. They had also increased by 0.7% on Monday.

Meanwhile, silver for May delivery gave back 6.4 cents, or 0.3%, to end at $25.037 an ounce. Silver futures traded within a range of $24.78 to $25.30. They rallied 4.5% on Tuesday, logging their highest settlement since April 20, 2022, and they fell 0.6% on Monday.

To read more, go here. 

Silver At $24.17/toz Spot Price

Above, 2023 Britannia coins from the Royal Mint. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Not since early February has silver's spot price closed over $24/toz.

Last Friday, silver closed at $24.17/toz (according to Monex). Will the spot price go higher or lower? That, of course, is anyone's guess. But the turmoil with the banking industry has aided silver.

People who bought silver while the spot price was down stand to make some money if they sell. As for me, I am sitting tight. I did make another purchase on Friday. 

Gold, on the other hand, has flirted going over $2,000/toz, but each time it was about to cross that threshold, it falls back. It is almost as if it is resisting going over $2,000. It closed at $1,976/toz on Friday, according to Monex. For the average person, gold is too expensive to buy. Silver is much more affordable.

What happens with gold and silver this coming week will be interesting to watch. 

Two Versions of the 2023 Britannia Silver Coins

Above, both versions of the 2023 Britannia Silver Coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

People are probably wondering why there are two different 2023 Silver Britannia Coins, one with Queen Elizabeth II and one with King Charles III.

The Patriotic Mint explains why:

2023 will be the final year for 1-ounce Britannia Silver Coins featuring the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II before the Royal Mint transitions to King Charles III. Due to the timing of the Queen’s death, the 2023 series will have a limited mintage, making these coins extremely collectable. The Britannia is a stunning British bullion coin issued by The Royal Mint since 1997. Starting in the year 2013 and onward, the Silver Britannia has been produced with .999 fine silver (prior-to-2013 Britannia’s are .958 fine). The image of Britannia, the female personification of the Island of Great Britain, has appeared on UK coinage for almost 2,000 years.

Above, the image of Britannia of both coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My shipment of the 2023 Britannia Silver coins with King Charles III arrived the other day. I bought the version with Queen Elizabeth II previously.

God Save The King (and Gold & Silver)

Finally, I was able to get my mail at the post office down at the Flying J.

Due to staffing issue (mainly with the Flying J), the post office had been closed since last Thursday.

In my mail, were two 2023 Silver 2 Pound Britannia coins with King Charles III's effigy on them. These are the first U.K. coins to feature the King.