For millennia, humans have lusted after the cool gleam of silver, a rare and useful metal that is easy to work with and beautiful to behold. Today, silver remains as valuable as ever — which is why savvy investors are interested in collecting as much as possible to safeguard their wealth.
Creating a large portfolio of silver products, called silver stacking, can be lucrative and fun, but it can be difficult for beginners to get started. This guide provides information on silver stacking for beginners, so everyone can learn how to stack successfully.
Beginners Guide to Stacking Silver by Scottsdale Mint
Why Should You Stack Silver?
The primary reason to invest in any precious metal, not just silver, is as a hedge against inflation. Precious metals tend to rise in value as the value of currency decreases. Thus, investors with precious metal portfolios are able to protect and grow their wealth even in the face of economic uncertainty. Many precious metal investors begin with silver stacking before moving onto the collection of other precious metal products — but many silver stackers remain committed to silver for life.
There are precious metals that are rarer than silver, and there are precious metals that maintain a high, stable value, unlike silver. Why should beginners bother with silver? Because silver is not as rare, it is possible to purchase a large amount of high-quality silver at lower prices than one would need to pay for precious metals like gold or platinum. Plus, the volatility of the silver market means that smart investors can buy low and sell high, turning a profit from their silver investments.
Types of Silver to Stack
Because silver is so easy to work with, it comes in many different forms worth collecting. Some of these include:
Silver Bullion
Bullion is highly concentrated and pure precious metal, typically intended for investment. Silver bullion can take the form of coins, rounds, nuggets, bars, and more. Scottsdale Mint has a reputation for the exceedingly high quality and beauty of its silver bullion products. Some customer favorites include:
- Scottsdale KILO Stacker
- 100 oz Scottsdale King Stacker
- 10 oz Scottsdale Stacker Bar
- 2 oz Silver Stacker Round
Bullion is the best product for beginner silver stackers because it contains the most and best silver at the lowest price. Stacking silver bars is advantageous because one can amass a large collection of silver with minimal investment and limited space.
Silver Coins
Silver coins often refer to antique or currency coins minted in silver, though some silver coins are bullions created for the purpose of investment. Some government mints continue to produce limited quantities of silver coins, the most famous of which are the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf and the American Silver Eagle. Few guides on silver stacking for beginners advocate starting with coins because it can be difficult to understand which coins are valuable, unless one invests solely in bullion coins from reputable sellers.
Silver Jewelry and Other Items
Because silver is beautiful, it is often made into luxurious items like jewelry, utensils, dishes, and home decorations. Unfortunately, differentiating between high-quality silver and other, less valuable, low-quality metals can be difficult for beginners.
What’s more, investors will pay for the design and manufacture of these items in addition to the value of the silver, which typically lowers the return. Additionally, any silver product that is used or displayed will require upkeep to prevent tarnishing that can reduce the value of the item. Generally, it is best to avoid this type of silver in investing.
Where to Buy Silver
It is easy to find silver for sale; it is less easy identifying silver products you can trust. Experienced silver stackers can rely on any of the following sources of precious metals:
Person-to-person trading. Buying directly from other silver stackers is a good way to keep costs low and maintain privacy, but there is a high risk for fake silver and other scams in this marketplace.
Bullion dealers. Bullion dealers verify the authenticity of silver products to give investors security in their purchases. Scottsdale Mint not only sells silver bullion but also creates a variety of silver bullion products worthy of investment.
Silver stacking for beginners should entail buying from trustworthy sources, which typically means relying on a reputable bullion seller like Scottsdale Mint. A final option in silver stacking for beginners is buying “paper” silver, which provides the benefits of the value of silver without the hassle of owning physical silver products. Scottsdale Mint offers Stacker Market for those interested in this method, though it is not often associated with silver stacking.
How Much Silver Should You Stack?
Many investors believe that silver — or precious metals in general — is an indispensable investment tool, but it shouldn’t be the only asset in an investor’s portfolio. The value of silver rises and falls, but it doesn’t have unlimited potential for growth. While there can be some disagreement regarding how much silver to stack, many experts recommend keeping between 10 and 20 percent of one’s net worth in some kind of inflation hedge, like silver.
Silver Stacking at Scottsdale Mint
Scottsdale Mint offers many resources on silver stacking for beginners — and the best might be our friendly and knowledgeable customer service team. Silver stacking is fun and rewarding, and all it takes to get started is one piece of silver.
