ATB 5oz Minting

Anyone notice that the "bullion version" she held up was stamped with a P

That is a very nicely done video. Had to laugh at the narrator, though, when she stated that these coins contain ".999 percent silver". Correctly stated, they are 99.9% silver or .999 silver but not .999% silver.

Those coins are HUGE! Imagine running around town with a leather pouch hanging on your belt containing several of these for your purchasing needs.

Why do you say we will run out of silver in ten years?

10 years from now, 2021 we'll be on the last coin of the series.

Cool video.

really cool to see how these big coins are minted. I wonder what type of press is made to mint the big one troy pound (12 ounces) silver walking liberty I have had for years and wonder if its one of the 6 presses in the world because its about the same size as the hockey puck but quite a bit wider

I've been hearing about stuff like that for 40 years, Hawk. Some "expert" is always predicting the end of something or other... including the Earth!

Until about 1850, the Comstock Lode had laid there, hidden, and waiting to be found for a couple of billion years. Who is to say that there are not other similar caches out there just waiting to be found too? Things like that happen by chance in many cases. Things are often not "found" in a particular place and time because no one is looking for them then and there.

Another thought is that it is MUCH more likely that we are running out of the things that are EASY to find and obtain. What about those things that are more difficult to find, so have not yet been found? 3/4 of the Earth is covered by water. Some of that is miles deep. This indicates that if ALL of the silver on land had been found, there could still be a huge amount hidden under water in various places.

Once we tire of boring around inside the Earth, the asteroids, as well as other planets and moons, await our exploration. It would surprise me greatly if those bodies did not contain a similar geological make-up to the Earth. Our own moon, Luna, for example, could be a magnificent treasure trove of goodies, just sitting up there, waiting for its mineral wealth to be discovered and exploited... and none of it is covered by that pesky water!

The bottom line for me is that we are not running out of things but we may well be running out of that which is easily obtained. Other sources of these things are out there, waiting for us to develop them. Thing is, they WILL be much more costly. Under-sea silver, for example, could cost $500 / oz. and that could be a fair price considering the effort that it would take to obtain it. Lunar silver might be $5,000 an oz., etc. Available, just not cheap any more... and that would be VERY good news for collectors who already had a nice stash to sell at prices somewhat lower than the then new price.

Anyone who does not have a good stash when the cheap stuff runs out had better start studying high-vacuum hard-rock mining techniques.

Yeah, I think it'll be a lot more gradual like Ed said.

As silver prices rise, places that were cost prohibitive when silver was 10-20-35/oz, will start becoming much more cost effective at 100-200-500/oz, and we'll find a lot more silver. Like in oil, people are exploring and extracting from all kinds of places where they never would have at 20/barrel.

Also, there will be some demand destruction, and industries that can use other metals will switch over to keep costs under control. Again, just like in oil, people are thinking more about alternative energy sources, and efficient hybrid vehicles etc now a days.

Lastly a lot of silver produced today is used up in coins/bullion/jewellery etc investments. But we can't eat silver, and we can't run our cars on silver. As prices keep rising, investors will start selling out to get back to cash or other things. I know I will at some point. And at higher prices, a lot fewer will invest, or maybe the same amount of $$ will be invested, but it will buy a lot less silver ounces. Overall, more demand destruction there.

Now I agree silver prices will rise in the next ten years, but running out in ten years or less just doesn't add up for me. Now if they said 30-50 years or so, I'd give more credibility to those experts. Just my opinion.