Silver as a long-term investment
When it comes to investing in precious metals, silver is often given less attention or forgotten altogether. Sometimes the feeling arises as if only a gold purchase is a "real" investment. Yet the old silver shillings, silverware or silver bars are considered a sensible value investment and "iron reserve". Similar to gold, the price of silver peaked in 2011 and has increased in value by almost 660% since 2001 - more than gold within these ten years! Subsequently, however, the value of silver fell again by more than 50%. In the summer of 2020, the price of silver then rose again enormously - in parallel with gold's all-time high.
A similar phenomenon can be observed with the price of silver as with the price of gold: the greater the uncertainty in society, the more the price of silver bars and coins increases. When buying, however, you should consider some aspects. The advice of a reputable dealer is crucial here.
7 good reasons to buy silver
- Silver is an undervalued precious metal
- You can invest in silver even with small amounts of money
- Sustainable increase in the value of silver through scarcity (industry)
- Double hedging through nominal and silver value
- Independence from banks and financial institutions (keyword: creditor liability, state access to accounts)
- They have physical values (currency is only paper - without security)
- Spreading the risk in times of crisis
Price of silver: what should you look for when buying silver?
If you would like to invest your money in silver, we can particularly recommend the following three products:
When buying coins, you benefit from a decisive advantage: Due to the high difference in value between the silver price and the gold price, there is only a small difference between the nominal value of silver coins and their silver value. Thus, when selling you enjoy a double hedge: If the silver price falls sharply, silver coins retain their nominal value in any case. This is one reason why the old silver shillings are still so popular in Austria. At the same time, the higher the price of silver, the more valuable silver coins are. You also benefit from the following advantage: the price of silver. The price of a troy ounce of silver Vienna Philharmonic is a few euros and thus allows an investment with small budgets.
Silver investment: Buy silver - but in what form?
When buying silver, the question is not whether you invest, but how much you invest in silver and in what distribution. It generally makes sense to spread the risk between different precious metals. You will succeed even better in a silver investment if you hedge within the precious metal. So you choose products that have an intrinsic value (nominal value) and a precious metal value (silver value). Furthermore, the question of whether you have already invested in silver and if so, in what amount and form, also plays a role here. This information is relevant to find the right offer for you.
A reputable precious metal dealer will advise you in detail and point out the advantages, but also the disadvantages of his products.
The precious metal experts at Gold & Co. will be happy to take time for you and provide you with competent advice on all questions regarding the purchase of silver:
- Do you invest in silver coins or silver bars?
- What denomination or sorting do you do within these product classes? For example, do you buy silver shillings or the same ounce Vienna Philharmonic?
- What denomination makes sense at your stage of life?
- How and where do you store the silver?
- When is the right time to invest and at what price?
- Which products are suitable for resale and what are the differences in price?
- How do you achieve the best flexibility at the best price/performance ratio?
- What is the taxation on investment silver?
Buy silver bars as an investment
- Do you buy certified silver bars?
- What amount of money do you invest in silver and why?
- How and where do you store the investment bars?
- How do you achieve the best flexibility at the best price/performance ratio?
Investing money in bars or coins of silver means thinking long-term. It is an undervalued precious metal and can rise sharply in value while the purchasing power of money continues to decline. The silver deposit is limited in the world and is additionally scarce by the industry. Thus, even in the case of oversupply, there can hardly be a drop in price - similar to gold coins or gold bars.
The family business Gold & Co. can look back on 130 years of tradition as a precious metal dealer in Austria. Benefit from our experience and let us advise you in a free consultation.
Are there any disadvantages to buying silver?
A reputable precious metal dealer will also inform you about the disadvantages of investing in silver. Unlike gold, silver is not exempt from VAT. The VAT on investment silver is 20%. This means that the price has to rise by 20% for you as an investor to get out with 0% profit.
Our tip: Silver can be bought with differential taxation, e.g. in the form of silver shillings. An advantage of silver shillings is also that they are always secured against a total loss with the nominal value.
As an investor, you should know that silver is subject to greater price fluctuations than gold due to its use as an industrial metal. However, it also has a higher leverage in times of rising price.
Buy Silver Austria - "The Gold of the Little Man
Similar to gold coins or gold bars, silver coins were used as a means of payment thousands of years ago. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians already appreciated the coveted precious metal and used it as a stable investment. There were times in history when silver was even worth more than gold! Today, silver is often used in industry and is undervalued as a precious metal. Gold is currently about 80 times more expensive than silver, which is why silver is much more affordable than gold. One does not always have to start with large investments. Small amounts of alternative investments are better, especially in the beginning, than to do without them completely. You can already start with small amounts of coins and bars. You should consider the following: Silver is currently undervalued. And the silver reserves in the world are now relatively small. Likewise, silver cannot be produced artificially and the increased use of the raw material in industry is creating a slow but sustainable increase in value. Since 2001, the value of silver has increased more than sixfold, rising from $140 per kilo to $880 per kilo (August 2020). This corresponds to a value increase of approximately 740 euros per kilo.
A silver investment is not suitable for short-term speculation. We strongly advise against this. However, if you want to invest your money in precious metals in the medium or long term, you are on the safe side with an investment in silver or gold.