Cash on hand

[free]

I have a question, just opinions. If I had $50k to invest in either gold or silver, which metal would you choose and why? These metals have a lot of use in so many different industries. It*s hard to predict what will happen in the future.

I would say gold. Smaller pile of metal to deal with, by far. Also slightly less subject to price manipulation and volatile.

I'd buy 1 oz American Gold Eagles.

[markshere2]

I have a question, just opinions. If I had $50k to invest in either gold or silver, which metal would you choose and why? These metals have a lot of use in so many different industries. It*s hard to predict what will happen in the future.

The ratio between silver and Gold is distorted between what it is now and what it was for thousands of years. I don't remember the exact numbers - Yinz can go research it if you care, but I do remember that Silver is under-valued vs gold in current times.

That does not make sense to me because I believe silver has more industrial applications than gold.

OR I may be Rong.

At today's prices,
$50K in Gold is about 25 ounces or less than 2 lbs.
$50K in silver is about 110 lbs.

In a SHTF situation, I believe silver will be more useful in a trading environment.

[akley88]

The ratio between silver and Gold is distorted between what it is now and what it was for thousands of years. I don't remember the exact numbers - Yinz can go research it if you care, but I do remember that Silver is under-valued vs gold in current times.

That does not make sense to me because I believe silver has more industrial applications than gold.

OR I may be Rong.

At today's prices,
$50K in Gold is about 25 ounces or less than 2 lbs.
$50K in silver is about 110 lbs.

In a SHTF situation, I believe silver will be more useful in a trading environment.

silver is about 20 times more common then gold but is used for way more then gold in day to day items. i always thought platinum was a more comparable metal to gold and it used to be higher per ounce then gold till about 2015 when gold jumped and has been more valuable since.

[djeuch]

The ratio between silver and Gold is distorted between what it is now and what it was for thousands of years. I don't remember the exact numbers - Yinz can go research it if you care, but I do remember that Silver is under-valued vs gold in current times.

That does not make sense to me because I believe silver has more industrial applications than gold.

OR I may be Rong.

At today's prices,
$50K in Gold is about 25 ounces or less than 2 lbs.
$50K in silver is about 110 lbs.

In a SHTF situation, I believe silver will be more useful in a trading environment.

I keep enough cash on hand to be my own safe-based ATM for a couple weeks, but I also charge everything (2% cash back makes it worthwhile and I always pay it off), but I also believe a balance of Silver and Gold is best. Gold is more effective by weight by far, but at a current value of north of $2300/oz, Silver is a likely better non-paper currency for most things should it be needed.

Of course, bullets will also have significant value, but is likely not as weight/price effective in the short term. Long term, it's bullets, water, food, shelter!

[eatmydust]

For a TEOTWAWKI scenario pre 1965 dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars are the way to go. At 90% silver and 10% copper they are a valuable asset if fiat money is useless. No need to fractionalize and nearly impossible to counterfeit. Also easy to melt and mold if you don't have other options.

[father-of-five]

The ratio between silver and Gold is distorted between what it is now and what it was for thousands of years. I don't remember the exact numbers - Yinz can go research it if you care, but I do remember that Silver is under-valued vs gold in current times.

In a SHTF situation, I believe silver will be more useful in a trading environment.

Yes. Silver makes for better trading, but there has been a bit of push recently for tradable gold ala those somewhat expensive.goldbacks and a few other similar gold products. I think silver coins are fun to collect, but they are more affordable for folks like me!

[free]

Well, FWIW, the poster did said he was looking to "invest", not prepare for a SHTF scenario.

[Bug44]

The ratio between silver and Gold is distorted between what it is now and what it was for thousands of years. I don't remember the exact numbers - Yinz can go research it if you care, but I do remember that Silver is under-valued vs gold in current times.

That does not make sense to me because I believe silver has more industrial applications than gold.

OR I may be Rong.

At today's prices,
$50K in Gold is about 25 ounces or less than 2 lbs.
$50K in silver is about 110 lbs.

In a SHTF situation, I believe silver will be more useful in a trading environment.

Agreed, for SHTF silver I think would be easier to trade with. If you have a bunch of 1oz gold but only want to trade for a few cans of soup it*s not feasible. Where as maybe a silver quarter will work.

As for safe investing, I think either is fine. Silver is more volatile which is good if you buy the dips. I normally stop buying silver when it gets above $25oz. I try and make small purchases each month. Over time it accumulates into a nice nest egg. It*s more of a rainy day/emergency back up cash. If I don*t end up needing it, I will pass it down to kids and grandkids.

[ray h]

I have a question, just opinions. If I had $50k to invest in either gold or silver, which metal would you choose and why? These metals have a lot of use in so many different industries. It*s hard to predict what will happen in the future.

I feel stacking gold and silver is for two different purposes.
Gold if you want some way to hedge against inflation, silver if you want a SHTF currency when the dollar crashes. Silver is actually used much more than gold in industry, on the other hand gold IS the world currency. So it really depends on what you expect from them. Personally we have both. If I were starting out with $50K right now I would split it down the middle and buy both. A consideration is also how you plan to store it, $50000 in silver actually takes up a significant amount of room and weighs a bit if you ever have to move it, where as that amount of gold can be shoved into a front pocket.
Sit back for a few days, watch the spot prices and watch for deals and sales and try to get a feel for how things are trending. Something else to watch is the GSR (gold silver ratio). The GSR can be used to trade between the two metals.
It's a tough time to be buying right now with gold at it's highest price ever and silver at it's highest in 10-15 years. That said, I'm still buying, I just look for deals.
Be careful, it's addictive, but I guess there are worse things to be addicted to.

[ray h]

The ratio between silver and Gold is distorted between what it is now and what it was for thousands of years. I don't remember the exact numbers - Yinz can go research it if you care, but I do remember that Silver is under-valued vs gold in current times.

That does not make sense to me because I believe silver has more industrial applications than gold.

OR I may be Rong.

At today's prices,
$50K in Gold is about 25 ounces or less than 2 lbs.
$50K in silver is about 110 lbs.

In a SHTF situation, I believe silver will be more useful in a trading environment.

I think it's intentionally being devalued for industry (military, solar, electronic, etc). They keep it devalued so they don't have to pay as much for it. You would think as demand goes up, so would the price, but I think they are playing games with it so industry doesn't have to pay out the ass for it. Eventually that's going to catch up to them and the price will have to go to it's natural level. It's the same thing they are doing with the dollar, devaluing it, it can't keep being devalued forever.