# Investing in Silver
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 30, 2018, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199 "2018-09-30T03:41:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/1 "2018-09-30T03:41:26Z")
Is now a good time to buy some
Silver bars?
$14.50 seems awful low
Some forecasts are saying $8 by 2020, some aw saying $130 by 2019???
What do you think?
---
### Author:  [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/2 "2018-09-30T05:12:46Z")
Silver and gold are not investments, at least not in the regular sense. They are **stores** of value – i.e., their value typically does not change much over the long term.
You’ll presumably do a little better in silver than you would by buying CD’s–the average long-term rate of return on CD’s is a percentage point or two less than inflation. But don’t expect to actually make money.
Now for short-term stuff, it boils down to one simple question:
Do you feel like gambling, or not?
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### Author:  [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/3 "2018-09-30T06:08:20Z")
> [@Flyer](#):
>
> Now for short-term stuff, it boils down to one simple question:
> Do you feel like gambling, or not?
Well, two questions:
1. Can you **easily** afford to gamble and lose?
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/4 "2018-09-30T12:46:29Z")
Another vote for this is all just gambling. And there is a “house” made up of the big trading organizations who make sure that they make money no matter what. Where are their profits coming from? From the little fish that get suckered into their world.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/5 "2018-09-30T13:07:33Z")
> [@Mrdeals](#):
>
> $14.50 seems awful low
What is your reasoning behind this and what is your expertise in saying so?
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/6 "2018-09-30T13:57:39Z")
> [@Mrdeals](#):
>
> Is now a good time to buy some
> Silver bars?
>
> $14.50 seems awful low
>
> Some forecasts are saying $8 by 2020, some aw saying $130 by 2019???
>
> What do you think?
I don’t know about the dropping to $8 part, but the “rising by close to 1000% in the next few months” part seems to fall into the category of “clinically insane.”
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/7 "2018-09-30T14:20:09Z")
Instead of buying physical silver, you can buy an ETF which gives you an interest in physical silver, or buy shares in a silver mining stock, or buy an ETF that holds shares in several silver miners. These have advantages, though physical silver makes a better “conversation piece.”
(If you want my 2¢ of advice on whether any of these are good ideas, you’ll need to PayPal me 41¢ — enough to cover the 39¢ PayPal service charge.)
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/8 "2018-09-30T14:23:45Z")
What’s special about silver or gold as investments, presuming you’re not a prepper looking to live out a Mad Max fantasy/paranoid delusion? The main way to profit off that is to invest in .22 ammo (because Obama & Hilary fear your .22 rifle).
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/9 "2018-09-30T15:36:39Z")
Hmmm. **MichaelEmouse** ’s mention of ammo reminds me that _ **only silver bullets can kill werewolves** _. Since genealogists have discovered that Ump-tray is a descendant of [the famous Werewolf of Edburg-bay](https://www.thoughtco.com/the-werewolf-of-bedburg-2597445), perhaps concern about genetic inheritance feeds the desire for such bullets, and is responsible for the alleged upcoming surge in the silver price?
(Excuse me for using igpay atinlay but with Umptray and ulletbays mentioned in the same sentence it seemed best to avoid the simple filters used by the Ecretsay Ervicesay.)
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/10 "2018-09-30T17:45:03Z")
The price of silver will probably never go up. Because I have a butt-load.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/11 "2018-09-30T18:04:22Z")
> [@septimus](#):
>
> Instead of buying physical silver, you can buy an ETF which gives you an interest in physical silver, or buy shares in a silver mining stock, or buy an ETF that holds shares in several silver miners. These have advantages, though physical silver makes a better “conversation piece.”
>
> (If you want my 2¢ of advice on whether any of these are good ideas, you’ll need to PayPal me 41¢ — enough to cover the 39¢ PayPal service charge.)
Any research on metal ETFs would show that holding physical silver/gold/platinum is much better than having someone else hold paper-metal for you.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/12 "2018-09-30T18:06:07Z")
After the zombie uprising, EFTs will be meaningless!
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/13 "2018-09-30T18:30:41Z")
> [@susan](#):
>
> After the zombie uprising, EFTs will be meaningless!
If Newt survived all those aliens, I fancy her progeny’s chances against the zombies.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/14 "2018-09-30T19:06:37Z")
[History](https://www.macrotrends.net/1470/historical-silver-prices-100-year-chart) of silver prices. Not a good investment strategy, it would seem.
[Here](https://www.macrotrends.net/1333/historical-gold-prices-100-year-chart) is gold. I bought mine in about 2001, sold some in about 2006 and the rest in 2013. But that was just dumb luck.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/15 "2018-09-30T19:38:58Z")
> [@Mrdeals](#):
>
> Is now a good time to buy some
> Silver bars?
Say what you will, silver and gold bars are the kind of investment you can fondle and cackle over, which you can’t say for stocks, bonds and CDs.
> [@](#):
>
> Some forecasts are saying $8 by 2020, some aw saying $130 by 2019???
>
> What do you think?
I tend to doubt either possibility, especially if the forecasters are trying to sell you silver or steer you into some other strategy. 😕:dubious::smack:
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/16 "2018-09-30T19:59:17Z")
> [@Mrdeals](#):
>
> Some forecasts are saying $8 by 2020, some aw saying $130 by 2019???
Why not both?
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### Author:  [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/17 "2018-10-01T02:57:58Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> Say what you will, silver and gold bars are the kind of investment you can fondle and cackle over, which you can’t say for stocks, bonds and CDs.
I own AAPL. When I walk by an Apple store filled with customers, or even having a line on a drop day, I cackle.
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### Author:  [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/18 "2018-10-01T04:06:52Z")
> [@Riemann](#):
>
> If Newt survived all those aliens, I fancy her progeny’s chances against the zombies.
Well, why don’t we just put her in charge of silver prices then? Huh?
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### Author:  [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/19 "2018-10-01T04:45:21Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#):
>
> Well, two questions:
>
> 1. Can you **easily** afford to gamble and lose?
Good point.
---
### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/investing-in-silver/822199/20 "2018-10-01T04:50:55Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> Any research on metal ETFs would show that holding physical silver/gold/platinum is much better than having someone else hold paper-metal for you.
Why’s that, specifically?
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