Silver Eagles vs. Generic Rounds for IRA - What's your take?
- •Been debating this a bit in my head, especially with silver looking pretty attractive compared to gold lately.
- •I've got a decent chunk in physical gold already, mostly in 1oz Maples and some pre-1933, but thinking about adding more silver to my IRA.
- •The question always comes down to Silver Eagles versus generic rounds.
Been debating this a bit in my head, especially with silver looking pretty attractive compared to gold lately. I've got a decent chunk in physical gold already, mostly in 1oz Maples and some pre-1933, but thinking about adding more silver to my IRA. The question always comes down to Silver Eagles versus generic rounds.
My custodian makes it easy enough to hold either, but the premium on Eagles just kills me sometimes. We’re talking 15-20% over spot for Eagles, while I can get good quality generic rounds (Sunshine Mint, Johnson Matthey, etc.) for maybe 5-8% over. Over a large enough allocation – and we're talking about a significant six-figure sum here, not just a couple of ounces – that premium difference really adds up. It's the kind of thing that makes a Wall Street veteran like me, even retired one here in NYC, meticulously crunch numbers. My entire portfolio, well over $1M with a solid 20% in hard assets, is built on maximizing value, and high premiums chip away at that.
I know the argument for Eagles is recognition, liquidity, and perceived higher resale value down the line. But honestly, if you're not trying to flip these things every other week, and it's a long-term hold in an IRA, how much does that really matter? My goal is wealth preservation and inflation hedging for my retirement, not speculation. I’m thinking generic rounds offer more ounces for the same dollar, which seems like a more direct play on silver's price movement. What are you all doing in your Gold IRAs when it comes to silver? Are the premiums on Eagles worth it to you?