Buying Silver Coins in Bulk
Can You Handle the Weight?

Individual silver coins are ideal silver investments. They're easy to handle, easy to sell, and inexpensive to buy. But you can obtain them even cheaper if you purchase them in bulk.

Bulk numbers are typically 20 or more. Most bulk silver bullion coins come in mint tubes of 20, or sealed boxes of 500 (known as monster boxes).

How Much Can I Save?

The cost reduction is not large, but it adds up if you plan to do a lot of buying.

Most companies offer a $.50 (50 cent) reduction over the single coin price if you buy at least 20. Further savings can be had if you buy more at one time. For example, buy at least 100 and you may receive an additional $.30 off the price of each coin. If you can afford 500 or more (taking you into the $9,000-$10,000 range at today's prices), you'll likely save another $.20 per coin.

So you can save upwards of $500 on a purchase of 500 silver coins.

Most bullion dealers have a set fee for shipping and handling, so you can also save with the lower per-coin S&H cost when you buy more coins.

Things To Consider

Each silver coin you buy weighs one troy ounce, or 1.1 "regular" ounces. Buying in bulk means a fair bit of weight around the house, or in a secure storage location. For example, 500 coins weigh over 34 pounds.

That's a lot of weight for $10,000 or so of precious metal. Compare that to less than 10 ounces of gold for the same cost (at today's prices).

With that much silver, you won't want to store it at home, unless you have a secure and hidden safe in the house. So you'll need to find a place to store your coins.

We don't recommend storing them at your bank. If your bank fails, you may never be able to get your coins.

Think long-term. If you plan to turn 10%-20% of your net worth into hard assets, including silver, you'll need a location where the floor can hold the weight, while providing good security.

Silver coins, even when purchased in bulk, are more expensive than silver rounds or silver bars. If you want to go the bulk purchase route, you can save yourself as much as $1.00 per ounce, or more, off the premium if you buy rounds or bars. And that's in addition to any savings resulting from the number of coins you buy.

Are Bulk Silver Coins for You?

Now that you have a few facts, you can decide whether silver coins in bulk are the right investment for you.