Silver Eagles vs. Generic Rounds - What are you guys doing for your IRA?

Steven Mitchell

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Silver Eagles vs. Generic Rounds - What are you guys doing for your IRA?

steven_mitchell🏆Advanced (250-500k)

about 4 hours ago

Key Takeaways

•Alright, so I’ve been looking to add some more silver to my Gold IRA.
•My initial thought was just to load up on American Silver Eagles.
•The recognition is there, they’re government-minted, and generally considered highly liquid.

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Alright, so I’ve been looking to add some more silver to my Gold IRA. I’ve got a decent chunk in already, probably around $300k with a good mix of gold and some platinum, but I want to diversify the silver side of things. My initial thought was just to load up on American Silver Eagles. The recognition is there, they’re government-minted, and generally considered highly liquid. I like owning something tangible, and after years in manufacturing here in Cleveland, I definitely appreciate hard assets that aren't just numbers on a screen.

However, I'm finding myself doing a double-take on the premiums for the Eagles. They're pretty steep right now, definitely higher than I remember even a year or two ago when I was first building out this IRA. I mean, we're talking a significant percentage over spot. This has me wondering about generic 1 oz silver rounds. I can get a lot more ounces for my dollar if I go that route. I'm not really looking for numismatic value; this is purely for wealth preservation and some potential growth when the dollar eventually takes its next nosedive.

My concern with generics, though, is the potential for liquidity issues or a wider bid/ask spread down the line. If I need to sell a good chunk of this silver in say, 10-15 years, will it be as easy to offload generic rounds as it would be government-minted Eagles? I don't want to screw myself out of a decent return just to save a few bucks on the buy-in premium. I'm sitting on a pretty good position overall, so I don't need to be super aggressive, but I also don't want to be wasteful.

So, for those of you with significant silver allocations in your self-directed IRAs, what's your strategy? Are you biting the bullet on the higher premiums for Eagles, or are you going for pure volume with generic rounds? Is there a middle ground I should be considering? Any thoughts especially on the selling side of things would be appreciated. Thanks!

4 comments

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Best Answer▲ 8 upvotes

donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)

Interesting approach! So you're saying the higher premium on Eagles for future liquidity is a better bet in an IRA, even if generic rounds are cheaper upfront?

Comments (4)

donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor✓ Verified•less than a minute ago

Interesting approach! So you're saying the higher premium on Eagles for *future* liquidity is a better bet in an IRA, even if generic rounds are cheaper upfront?

donna_rogers🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor•less than a minute ago

Hey, I hear you on this one! I had a very similar dilemma a few months back when I was adding more to my precious metals IRA. My initial instinct was all Eagles, all the time, for the same recognition/liquidity reasons you mentioned.

But after crunching some numbers and talking it over, I ended up going with a mix. I still grabbed a good chunk of Eagles because, well, they're Eagles. But I diversified a bit with some lower premium generic rounds too. I figured the overall silver content was the main thing for the IRA, and the premiums on the generics definitely helped stretch those dollars further. No regrets so far!

jennifer_martinez💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor✓ Verified•less than a minute ago

While ASEs are definitely the gold standard for recognition and resale, have you looked into some of the more unique sovereign silver coins? Things like Canadian Maples or Austrian Philharmonics often have premiums closer to generic rounds, but still carry that government backing and are widely recognized. Could be a nice middle ground if you're not fully comfortable with generics but want to avoid the beefy ASE premium.

elizabeth_johnson💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor✓ Verified•less than a minute ago

Hey, cool thread! For IRAs, you're spot on with ASEs for their recognition and liquidity, even with the higher premium. But since you're already diversified with gold and platinum, have you considered some of the other IRA-eligible silver coins that might offer a slightly lower premium than Eagles but still have government backing?

Things like Canadian Silver Maples or British Silver Britannias are great options. They're also sovereign coins, so they meet IRA requirements, and sometimes you can snag them for a bit less than ASEs. Might be worth checking current premiums on those to see if it helps you get more ounces for your dollar!

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