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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,691 |
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Valued Member
United States
315 Posts |
I found a good deal on Austrian Philharmonics, but I know virtually nothing about them other than they contain one troy ounce of silver. In general, are all 1 ozt gold/silver coins around the world virtually equal other than the images on it? I know chinese pandas (well, virtually everything out of china, apparently) have a very bad reputation because of counterfeiting.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
The Austrian Mint in Vienna has set itself up to produce high quality PM bullion coins, in the same manner as the Perth Mint. They have developed a strong business niche for themselves in the European bullion coin market, with the manufacture and marketing of their Philharmonika bullion coins. I guess the Chinese have forged their products as well, just as they have with Perth Mint products. It would be wise to buy from a recognized bullion dealer; at least they have the XRF testing equipment to test bullion coins easily and almost instantly. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1200 Posts |
^^ +1. Nothing wrong with Philharmonics, as long as the ones you're buying are "the real thing". In the US, the may not be quite as liquid as ASE's and some people cry about how they don't like a smooth-edged coin as much as a reeded-edged coin, but I don't think that makes the Phil any less viable as a silver bullion coin. Buying them new from a good online vendor (Provident, etc) will ensure you're getting "the real thing." Plus... Philharmonics, the pre-Y2K Mexican Libertads and CSMs all fit into the RCM tubes, which is really helpful for storage purposes. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
No they don't matter. If I showed you a .999 fine blank it would be worth the same. The difference with bullion is the source of the assayage. You flock towards a certain kind because you trust its assay and you trust that it is .999 like it should say on the coin or bar. They try to confuse you with legal tender denominations but don't pay any attention to that.
And Phillies, because of their plain edge (no reeding) makes every one of their coins look like generic knockoffs and that's my only gripe with them, but they are sometimes cheaper than ASEs if you can find them on this continent. At least they don't have milkspots.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3486 Posts |
What follows is an opinion based upon observations and contemplations.
It is not by any means 'law.'
If a person is acquiring silver bullion for inflation purposes than all bullion is basically the same. Some recognition difficulties may occur but they are not insurmountable.
However, if a person is acquiring silver as insurance against a [fiat or paper] currency
failure then the silver coins of one's country are preferred. Most people will recognize their own coins much more than silver rounds or bullion ounces.
The choice is an individual one.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
6768 Posts |
Quote:
... but they are sometimes cheaper than ASEs if you can find them on this continent. At least they don't have milkspots. Unfortunately, I have the example with "milkspots", same as SMLs. The coins that I saw the milkspots on them: SMLs ASE (not the milkspots, but "white fogged area" Austria Philharmonics Panda - very tiny one spot Somali Elephant - few tiny milkspots So from this perspective, I more trust Britannia, Koalas, Kooks and Pandas |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
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So from this perspective, I more trust Britannia, Koalas, Kooks and Pandas I personally dont even consider Britannias bullion with the premium they charge for them. The ASEs do seem to be having more milk spots/white spot problems then they had in the past. They might be getting sloppy with them trying to get them out faster |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Matthewvincent: I agree with everything you said. I couldn't have put it better myself. I'm in Canada and I prefer ASEs, but I have more SMLs because they are more abundant. Strictly speaking, though, an overwhelming majority of Canadians have never seen an SML, so I feel that it doesn't matter so much which country's bullion you hold. That said, I do prefer Libertads above all others because there's no fixed monetary value on it. It's the most "sane" bullion, and it takes paper money out of the equation altogether unless Hugo Salina Price's idea catches on.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2805 Posts |
I think the Philharmonic is the nicest-looking... I have now been wearing one down for 6 months as a pocket-piece.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2543 Posts |
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That said, I do prefer Libertads above all others because there's no fixed monetary value on it. It's the most "sane" bullion, and it takes paper money out of the equation Yeah, but I think collectors, like to collect coins with a face value, because they like legal tender. It is what separates collector coins from medals,rounds and boutique coins. Libertads have ridiculously low mintages compared to all other world bullion. I just bought a 1999 Libertad mintage 95,000 ; compare that with other 1999 issues, Eagles 7.4 mil; Maple Leafs 1.23 mil; Kookaburras 300,000; Panda 600,000 I paid $65 dollars in MS condition, if it was an Eagle with a 95,000 mintage , it would cost 3-4 times as much. I think that one of the main reasons that Libertads are so under collected and under valued is because of their " lack of denomination, which is the determination of legal tender. Edited by denco7
10/09/2013 9:28 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Well to that I say that one is collecting government promises. I still think that Libertads and sterling Onzas are the world's most honest bullion coins ever. They don't pretend to have value denominated in fictional units. To me Mexico has always had the most honest representation of money up until maybe the late 1970s. I say this because the coins will say "LEY .900". Ley = Law
Meanwhile, coins in the USA were usurped by debased coins with the same designs on them (adding the beloved JFK to jerk a tear or two - I'm willing to bet that the hoarding of 1964 Kennedies had nothing to do with its silver content). To quell panic or to trick the public?
Purity > Weight everytime.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2805 Posts |
Quote:
Meanwhile, coins in the USA were usurped by debased coins with the same designs on them (adding the beloved JFK to jerk a tear or two - I'm willing to bet that the hoarding of 1964 Kennedies had nothing to do with its silver content). To quell panic or to trick the public? And silver was pulled in Canada just one year after the Centennial! I bet people were still too distracted by the commemorative designs to notice. A pox on you, Trudeau! (And Pearson is also probably guilty...!) The plot thickens... |
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,691 |
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Posted 10/09/2013 10:02 am
