shortage of physical gold and silver

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

I split between gold and silver and buy on the dips. Gold had a dip recently, and I managed to find a supply of Austrian gold ducats to buy. My gold is in historic European gold coins that have a low premium over spot - German 20 marks, French 20 francs, Austrian and Dutch ducats, and Austrian 8 florins, as well as US Liberty eagles and half eagles of the late 19th and early 20th century. My silver is bulk US and Canadian silver coins. British sovereigns are another coin I would buy but not while I can find German 20 marks which have the exact same amount of gold but are generally priced $10 or so cheaper.

[M. Henley Class President Find all posts View Profile Close M. Henley]

Hey brother can you spare a dime.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

Six months later, this situation is not changing much. The major bullion brokers have a very narrow range of inventory of bulk US silver coins compared to what they have had in the past, and the range of availibility of the major historic European gold coins is way down. I watch daily for the gold coins I am interested in, which used to be continuously availible, but now you have to grab them when they occasionally pop up or they will be gone again. That includes the ones still being produced like the various Franz Josef I gold coins being constantly restruck by the Vienna mint. There seems to be a sustained run on physical gold and silver, not yet fully reflected in the paper gold and paper silver markets.