Considering buying silver for the first time? A few pointers.

I'm writing this post just to share a little of my experience in silver and hopefully give some perspective.

I'm not an advisor I hold no degrees. Though I did do a significant amount of reach on silver before I bought my first coin.
My first experience with silver was while working on my ice cream truck route. I was giving my customer her change when we noticed the unusual the special "ching" from the coins. She became excited. I kinda pulled back like maybe I gave her something I shouldn't have. She smiled and said "there's probably a silver quarter in there. I promise to give it back if there is." She sorted through the change and we found the quarter. She was my first teacher on silver. Together we sorted through my quarters and I found seven silver quarters in my till. Which is exactly the price of one of my large cones at the time. I imagine one of my young customers had invaded their parents coin jar before coming to my truck.

Before you get into any type of investment you should do you homework. Find reliable sources and get an understanding of what you are buying. Mike Maloney has a wonderful series he calls hidden secrets of money. It's better then any college classes I ever paid for. Here's a link to one of his articles. I love his videos because he explains what I considered complicated in very easy to inunderstand terms.
Check him out on YouTube and www.hiddensecretsofmoney.com
Here's one of his latest videos.

I prefer two types myself :
Legal currency coins
like the US Silver dollar, half dollar, quarter, and dimes dated 1964 or earlier.

The US pre 1965 90% silver coins contain .7734 troy ounces of silver per dollar.

I also like the 1942-1945 silver war nickels. They are 35% silver per coin, but a dollars worth contains 1.125 troy ounces

I found they sell pretty close to the spot price.
(Market price+dealers cut=spot price)

(Photo from apmex.com)

Another option are the 1965-1969 silver half dollars. They're 40% silver.

Reminders when buying 90% silver coins
Do some research if your buying coins for the first time. The challenge with buying silver legal tender coins is that there are two ways to value them. One is silver content, the other is trader value. In my opinion the closer to silver value your price is the better deal you get.
An example is the pre 1965 silver dollars. They have less then an ounce per coin. Yet They can sell between $18 to $40 or more depending on where the coin was made, it's quality, and it's rarity. The problem is that price goes up and down based on what people will pay for it. So the closer to metal value you buy the coin at, the lower the risk of loss.

The second form of silver I like is Rounds or bullion
These coins are made from different producers around the world. Based on where you live you might find certain Brands cheaper then others.
Rounds and bullion come in different shapes, styles or designs. Their price is varies on the producers, the spot price of silver, and dealer preference. Rounds come from all over the world. This one is from Canada

Rounds and bullion are a great way to collect silver. Not to mention they are fun to own.

They come in different weights in both ounces and grams. Sometimes you save by buying larger portions but not always.

In recap.
When you buy silver make sure it's from a seller you trust. I've heard stories of fake silver coins being produced in China.

The second point I need to make is use caution in how much of your money you convert to silver. The markets is low. Yet there have been proven cases where banks have been caught manipulating the prices to keep them low. This is a plus if your buying, but if you find you need to sell. You might have to accept a price much lower then you bought. I learned this the hardway. So only use money that you can freeze for a while and won't need. Don't get fooled by the good feelings that comes from buying investments.

I found big wholesalers like Apmex.com offer great prices, discounts for buying large amounts, discounts for paying with echecks, and even free shipping for orders larger then a $100. Online wholesalers offer great prices, but they report their sales. So if laws change your silver purchases are stored. I'm blessed to live in a country where our postal service is dependable, but in aware that same doesn't
apply everywhere so use your best judgement.

Buying from private sellers has the potential for a good deal. Yet I found few private sellers have a proper grasp on price. You can buy off the record but it's rare to find fair prices.
Dealers offer quality but they have their mark ups.

When you buy online be aware that there are usually more then one price for a listing. The listing might say "as low as $.99 over spot". What you want to verify is the price for the amount your buying. It my be $.99 over spot but only if you buy a 100 coins or more. If you don't notice you'll be paying more then you expected. I realized I had done that a few times. Not all the listings have varied prices. Some have the same price no matter how many you buy. Just pay attention.

The last thing is to make sure you have a safe place to store your silver. Be careful who you tell about your silver. I Myself fight this all the time. I feel good about my purchase and want to tell my friends but broadcasting your valuables is never a good idea.

So no matter what silver you buy
90% silver

Or silver rounds

Just use your common sense. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Just do your research. Hoped this post helped. Thanks for sharing.