A Time and Place for Fancy Metals

I recently discovered that Scottsdale Mint is celebrating their 15 year anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, they've minted a special 15-ounce silver bar. Sounds cool, right?

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It is, indeed, very cool! The design is slick. Like most other Scottsdale products, the design is excellent and so is the quality. There's only one problem: the price. These are retailing on their website for $485.85. That may not seem bad, but let's do some math.

If I go over to my dealer's website, bullionbrother.com, let's look at larger silver bars. I can get a 10-oz bar for $306.03, with spot price at $29.63.

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So, at $485.85 for 15 ounces of silver, I'm paying $32.39/oz. For the 10-oz bar, I'm paying $30.61 rounded up. That's $1.78/oz more for the Scottsdale bar, just because it's slightly fancier. If you're willing to pay the difference, then more power to you.

The problem you'll run into is most buyers won't be willing to pay that extra $1.78/oz when you go to sell it. Many will simply want to pay as little as possible, to get as much silver as they can. You can't blame them for it.

Personally, if I'm going to overpay for silver or gold, it better be a great design, highly desirable, and low mintage. While possessing these three characteristics is generally a good indicator that a piece will appreciate in value over time, it's not guaranteed. While the Scottsdale XV anniversary bar is nice, it's still just a silver bar at the end of the day, and it doesn't have any history to it. You're better off saving that extra $1.78/oz and buying more cheap silver with it. Stack smart and you won't have any regrets!

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