mardi 17 juin 2014

Asking How Much Is Silver Worth

By Jessica Drury


The talk shows are full of the high price of gold, especially since the soundness of the American dollar seems to be eroding. However, gold prices rise and fall regularly enough to scare many. It may be time, however, to consider another precious metal as a hedge against hard times. Finding out how much is silver worth to you today and in the future is considered a survival skill by many financial advisers.

Just like learning about the stock market, understanding how gold and other valuable metals are valued, bought, and sold is necessary to make wise decisions. The difference is that stocks are shares in corporate entities, while metals are tangible assets and are traded in the commodities market. Many people feel that owning units of precious metal is a way to secure the future.

Silver and gold can be bought in bars, called ingots. They also can be made into coins. Ingots have a value according to their weight. The same is true for coins, although they may have added value if they are in mint condition, are rare, or have historical significance.

For centuries, silver has been counted in 'troy ounces' and 'troy pounds'. This was a system of measurement used in France in the Middle Ages and ever since. The system differs from the one we are familiar with for weighing things like sugar or flour. There are twelve troy ounces in a troy pound, and each ounce is slightly heavier than the one used for foodstuffs. Ingots are fashioned in differing weights, from 100 troy ounces to 5,000.

The commodities value of this metal changes from moment to moment. The price is influenced by supply and demand, changes in other commodities, and the relative prices of world currencies. When the dollar is 'weak', in that investors have less confidence in the world reserve currency, precious metals rise in price. Investors buy, hold until the price rises significantly, and then sell to make a profit.

Of course, there are other measures of worth than the commodity market. Some advisers say that, in times of emergency, people would have a hard time buying food or other necessities with ingots of gold, for instance. They say having a hoard of coins makes more sense, since they are a familiar form of exchange and merchants are more likely to accept them. If the main reason for having silver is for emergency use, 'junk-silver' might be the most valuable investment.

'Junk-silver' is what coin dealers call American coins with merely intrinsic value. Their worth is calculated according to the weight of precious metal in them. Dollars, half-dollars, quarters, and dimes dated before 1965 are 90% pure. On troy weight value, a dollar would be worth over $10 on today's market. Some survivalists recommend having $1,500 worth of 'junk' for each member of the family, to be used in case of an emergency to buy necessities.

Therefore, the true value depends on the reason you are collecting the metal. An investment for trading is one thing, an emergency hoard another, a carefully-selected coin collection still another.




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