Silver Eagles vs. Generic for IRA - What's your play?

Brian Edwards

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Silver Eagles vs. Generic for IRA - What's your play?

brian_edwards🌟Ultra (5m+)

7 days ago

Key Takeaways

•Been thinking a lot about my precious metals allocation lately, specifically as it relates to my Gold IRA.
•I’m comfortable with my gold holdings, but I've been kicking around boosting my silver position.
•Right now, it's mostly Eagles, which I piled into years ago when I first got into the IRA.

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Been thinking a lot about my precious metals allocation lately, specifically as it relates to my Gold IRA. I’m comfortable with my gold holdings, but I've been kicking around boosting my silver position. Right now, it's mostly Eagles, which I piled into years ago when I first got into the IRA. They've performed decently, the premium always felt justified for the government backing and liquidity.

My question is, for a long-term hold in an IRA, am I wasting money on the premium for Eagles when I could get significantly more silver with generic rounds? I’m talking about a decent chunk of change here – if I put another $50k into silver this quarter, that premium gap between Eagles and generics really starts to add up to a lot of extra ounces. I'm not looking to actively trade this stuff, it's part of my long-term hedge against the craziness in the broader markets. I like hard assets, always have, hence the real estate portfolio and considerable weight in the shiny stuff.

I know the usual arguments for Eagles: recognized worldwide, perceived higher liquidity, "safer" in a total SHTF scenario. But for an IRA, where I'm not physically holding it until I decide to take distribution, does that really matter as much? The custodian just sees the weight and purity. I've also been playing around with that "Silver vs Stocks" tool on Gold IRA Blueprint (https://silvervsstocks.goldirablueprint.com/?period=10Y) looking at the 10-year performance, and it just reinforces my belief in having a strong silver position. I just want to maximize the hell out of the actual metal I own.

So for those of you who've been in this game longer, particularly with larger IRAs, what's your strategy? Are you biting the bullet on the Eagle premium for the peace of mind, or are you prioritizing the sheer volume of silver with generics? Any caveats I should be aware of with different generic producers for IRA qualification? Appreciate any insights.

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4 comments

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Best Answer▲ 10 upvotes

david_brown💎Premium (500k-1m)

Interesting debate. You mentioned your silver position is "mostly Eagles." Are those all American Silver Eagles, or do you have some other national mint coins in there too? Just curious if you've diversified beyond the US Mint for your IRA-eligible silver.

Comments (4)

paul_hill🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verified•7 days ago

Totally get this dilemma! I was in a similar boat a few years back. My IRA was heavily weighted with Silver Eagles from when I first started, and I kept looking at the premiums and thinking, "There has to be a more efficient way to stack for an IRA."

I ended up diversifying a bit. Still keep some Eagles for the recognition factor, but for sheer weight and lower premium, I've started adding some generic rounds and bars from reputable mints that are IRA-approved. It felt like a good compromise to maximize the silver ounces. Curious to see what others have done!

david_brown💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor•7 days ago

thomas_walker🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verified•7 days ago

Interesting take. I've always leaned towards generics for IRAs, but not necessarily because of the premium difference being a dealbreaker. It's more about the sheer volume you can get for the same investment. If the goal is a hedge against inflation or a long-term store of value, maximizing ounces often feels like the smarter play, especially with silver's volatility. Are those Eagles really going to command *that* much more premium down the line compared to a stack of well-known generic rounds/bars?

mark_adams👑Elite (1m-5m)Real Investor•7 days ago

Hey, interesting discussion! When you're weighing Silver Eagles vs. generics for an IRA, one thing often overlooked is the potential for premiums to compress or expand. While Eagles have that higher premium, they also tend to hold their value better in a down market for silver, and their liquidity is unmatched. Generics can be great for stacking pure weight at a lower cost, but might have a wider bid/ask spread if you need to sell quickly.

Here's a good article I found that dives deeper into the pros and cons of premium vs. generic silver for IRAs, might give you some extra food for thought: https://www.coinnews.net/2023/1

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