(Topic ID: 286786)

Precious Metals? Gold, Silver, Prospecting and Collecting.

By phil-lee

3 years ago


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Post #34 Perspective from a rare coin seller. Posted by Coindork (3 years ago)

Post #86 Amazing photos from actual miner and a great story. Posted by Onwallst (3 years ago)

Post #109 Great power point on gold demand. Posted by ManyQuarters (3 years ago)


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#11 3 years ago

Great forum topic!

Stealth hyper inflation Canuck style (2014 numbers):

- 1935 – 1967 one dollar Voyageur coin, 80 % silver, metal value = $12.73 cents
- 1968 – 1986 one dollar Voyageur coin, 100 % nickel, metal value = 32 cents
- 1987 - 2011 one dollar Loonie coin, 91.5 % nickel, metal value = 14 cents
- 2012 - 2014 one dollar Loonie coin, 91.5 % iron, metal value = 1 cent

To put this in perspective, if you exchanged metal for metal, in 2014 it took $1,273 in Canadian Loonie dollars to buy one pre 1968 silver dollar. (Similar results can be calculated for other sovereign coinage.)

1935 Voyageur (resized).jpg1935 Voyageur (resized).jpg1968 Loonie (resized).jpg1968 Loonie (resized).jpg1987 Loonie (resized).jpg1987 Loonie (resized).jpg2012 Loonie (resized).jpg2012 Loonie (resized).jpg
1 week later
#69 3 years ago

Gold prices show a pronounced seasonal pattern. This chart has been very helpful in timing my PM investments (including gold stocks) over the past 30 years. A similar chart can be found by looking up "Gold(CMX) 40 Year Seasonal (1976 - 2015)". There is also a chart for silver.

Basically, buy during the summer lows and if so inclined, sell during the fall / early new year highs. This yearly pattern is very similar at times to the weekly and daily gold price action, that is, an early price appreciation and exuberance (eg: early January or Monday mornings) followed by a general price fade (late January and into the summer or later Monday). I think this is done to crush hope and sentiment as 'they' try to keep the gold (and silver) price lids from blowing off. A good example of this was last weeks Monday silver price fade action.

(JMHO, DYODD).

Seasonal gold (resized).pngSeasonal gold (resized).png
#72 3 years ago
Quoted from Coindork:

While we’re on the subject of mining and prospecting, thought I would share a picture of two nuggets/specimens that came through the office.
The one on the left is California, while the other is Alaska.
[quoted image]

Those sure are perddy!

I'll guess somewhere in the 4 ounce range each??
(Btw, what's the premium over spot on nuggets like that these days?)

It almost hurts to see those nuggets, as I'm used to scouring drill core with a magnifying glass or microscope. However, even finding the tiniest confirmed microscopic speck of gold has huge implications (not to mention the big sigh of relief after spending millions). Here is a 'huge' speck of vg (visible gold) in drill core that ran 3 oz/ton. It was from the discovery hole that kicked off a 'tiny' $37,000,000 gold ore body that was later mined out.

VG drill core (resized).jpgVG drill core (resized).jpg
#77 3 years ago
Quoted from Onwallst:

Looking forward to the 2021 mining season. Was at one mine all day today. Still too much snow. Went through 6ft deep of snow and got stuck on Can am. Had to go get loader to pull out and clear a path. Trend lately is gold goes down around month end and up the first week of the month. Some pictures over the years.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Cool photos!

They really put into perspective the gigantic machinery, labour, expenses and challenges that go into such a tiny but valuable product. Reminds me of all the above (and below) ground mine sites I've ever worked at...damn hard work!

Now when I watch those gold shows I'm reminded of the chill in my bones, the itchin from billions of blackfly bites, the good, the bad and the ugly camp food (and same goes for the cooks), the copious amounts of swearing and the amazing chopper rides! Then there is the never ending equipment and labour problems. It's a wonder gold isn't at least a million dollars an ounce!

Here's a few from the old 'scrap'book.

1 (resized).jpg1 (resized).jpg2 (resized).jpg2 (resized).jpgIMG_1258 (resized).JPGIMG_1258 (resized).JPGIMG_1260 (resized).JPGIMG_1260 (resized).JPGIMG_1261 (resized).JPGIMG_1261 (resized).JPGIMG_1262 (resized).JPGIMG_1262 (resized).JPG
#80 3 years ago
Quoted from Coindork:

That’s really quite interesting.
To answer your question the one on the left is a little over 3oz, the one on the right is just over 11oz. The one on the right is a little more deceptive and pretty hefty in the hand. Both are roughly .900 fine give or take with other trace elements in the mix.
I have a hand held XRF here in the office and tested them both when they came in.
Been thinking about using it to test the alloys on pinballs and pinball parts lol. It would be pretty interesting to see what the different alloys on pinballs and things like coil stops.
Values really depend. It’s like anything else where the more attractive it is the higher premium over melt. Size does matter, but when you get something like a really big nugget from the Australian gold fields the premium drops. I had a really big one from there a few years ago, but it was pretty ugly (like a big gold cow pie and rather lifeless). At the same time I had that, I had one that was really beautiful in native form (not tumbled in a river) with a really nice quartz matrix. I got a small premium on the Australian one and about 2.5 time melt on the really pretty one. Another factor is where it’s from. If you get a nice looking nugget from a scarcer geographical location or perhaps a famous mine it can be pretty desirable.
Pretty normal looking nuggets with some heft to them (an ounce or more) generally something like 1.25-2 times melt (actual melt net gold, not gross weight) unless they are really neat or special.

Thanks for the information!

Sounds like bigger and more crystalline nuggets get the primo pricing. I've only ever found crystalline flake and tiny nuggets when panning as a prospecting tool to find the hard rock source.

#82 3 years ago
Quoted from Apinplayer:

Here's half of my take from a honey hole me and a buddy found about ten years ago. I was really enjoying the outdoors just hanging out drinking beers moving big rocks to find little rocks. After CA banned recreational dredging back it 09 it sorta ruined the fun for me.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
[quoted image]

Beautiful spot, looks worth it just for the beers!

#85 3 years ago
Quoted from Onwallst:

Here is the bigger stuff! The dozer is a Cat D11 and required to remove cab as too tall and go on a 13 axel heavy haul rig. (249,000 lbs) The blade goes on its own truck. Ripper and Cab on their own truck. Blade is 22 ft wide. It will push 96 cubic yards of material in one push using 930hp. One push is as much as 3 D9’s dozers combined.

Awesome photos! Best of luck!

Gold fever...has a real edge to it, no cure and no regrets...lots of adventures and occasional treasures, it's the memories that can't be weighed or measured.

#88 3 years ago

Need to see more of this happening!
(Feb.12, 2021, Kitco News)

"Idaho State House approves bill to hold gold as inflation, risk hedge."

#92 3 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Are you sure this is a good thing?

Idaho has a long history of and is blessed with gold, both placer and hard rock. It is also a significant silver producer. If the bill supports and buys from the 'physical' local industry and is not co-opted by the paper preponderants version of PMs, great!

#109 3 years ago

For interest sake and further to being a key asset to technology, gold unlike silver and copper, does not oxidize (react, tarnish or corrode) and therefor it is critical to vital applications in the high tech, space, communications, medical, industrial and military fields. To expand a little on this topic, here are a few slides from a 2014 local talk I gave (various sources: World Gold Council, Goldcorp presentation 2014).

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#114 3 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

This is the only reasonable answer frankly. I don’t know anyone who keeps them at their house. I had a friend keep a large amount in a ski locker he owned, not a terrible place either but many of the same risks as a bank safety deposit box.

I agree, bank safety deposit box is best and even better in the right country, Switzerland comes to mind. There are good reasons why banks and sovereigns hold and store vast amounts of PMs in vaults...safety, collateral, diversification, protection from (and allowing) fiat debasement etc. I don't buy the argument that there isn't enough gold to go back to the sanity of a gold standard...it's at what price! Back in 2010, $7,500 an oz. would have been needed to back paper fiat but now it seems that amount of increase is needed per month! Can't have that so, demonize it and print away but meanwhile, central banks hoard it and store it? Typical do as I say, not as I do.

In the Mad Max scenario (overhyped in IMO), unless you are dirt poor with nothing, thieves will be after anything anyways (incidentally, much like now), like booze, cigarettes, drugs, food, water, transportation, slaves etc. and PMs are just part of the list (like today). Gold and silver have always been desirable as part of a system, any system.

Personally, I like quality gold producing companies, their stocks and dividends. Let them worry about the risks of holding physical. It is one of (maybe the only) stock or other (fantasy) sector that is not nose bleed overvalued and pumped full of bs and hot air. Right now quality gold producers are making massive profits and increasing their dividends at a fairly good pace. My favourite KL (Kirkland Lake) even pays a US$ denominated dividend to its Canadian listed KL holders. Extra bonus!

#118 3 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

I am curious what will happen if the Market corrects for a few days.

I remember back on black Monday, October 19, 1987 when the stock market swanned. It was more than a market dive though, as headlines show on a Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper I saved from Tuesday, the next day. Record breaking and tense geopolitical events were taking place.

Gold and gold stocks initially got a solid lift. However, after a tense week, on the following Monday, gold and gold stocks opened higher and then took a beating. This is much in line with standard procedure today by the PPT (Plunge Protection Team or officially known as the President's Working Group on Financial Markets), that is, they physically and psychologically manipulate the broader and PM markets.

They let a kneejerk PM rise take place and then crushed sentiment immediately after. Incidentally, the PPT were formed a few months after the 1987 crash on March 18, 1988. I expect more of the 'same old' today but given time, it did not stop gold then or will not now, from its inevitable rise.

1987 Black Monday G & M (resized).JPG1987 Black Monday G & M (resized).JPG
#121 3 years ago

An important point.

Gold is a vital high tech metal because of its unique properties as a superior electrical conductor that does not corrode or tarnish (unlike copper or silver). So for important, reliable and quick electrical connections that cannot fail gold is used in communication devices, computer networks, cell phones, ABS brakes, air bags, car keys, lab and medical equipment, smoke detectors, pacemakers, satellite dishes, TVs, jet engines, fuel cells, military devices and other applications.

Interesting that in that regard cryptos require gold, however gold does not require cryptos.

Quite ironic that the vast and growing amount of electrical use and connections required for the digital and crypto worlds requires an ever increasing amount of gold! I can embrace that fact and it essentially means that high tech and cryptos are dependent on gold.

Over a ten year average, 2008 - 2017, the technology sector used an average of 9% or 384 tonnes (~12.3 million troy ounces) of annual gold supply. (source: World Gold Council)

market-structure-and-flows-1-fs2 (resized).pngmarket-structure-and-flows-1-fs2 (resized).png
#123 3 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Do you have a Chart that shows how much is thrown in landfills/ not recycled?
The chemical process to recover these metals can be gnarly but there are a couple of state of the art large scale facilities that make it look easy.

From the slide a few comments above that states that 1 billion cell phones are manufactured each year and only 10 % are recycled (2014 data), I will extrapolate and say this is roughly true for most PM's in related tech / consumer goods, so 90% of 384 tonnes = 345.6 tonnes not recycled annually. I would also guess that virtually all satellite / military applications are close to 0 % recycled for obvious reasons.

Another interesting point from my previous comment is that the 384 tonnes or 12.3 million troy ounces of gold used annually in the technology sector is greater than the top two gold producing companies annual gold production combined, Newmont (195.7 tonnes) and Barrick (170 tonnes). Essentially, technology applications of gold require the equivalent of the top two gold producers output every year. These companies and all the gold producers struggle to replace ounces mined every year. The trend is clear behind a backdrop of diminishing large gold discoveries, that is, the producing companies are increasingly replacing lost ounces by swallowing up other gold producers, for example: Newmont buying Goldcorp in 2019.

Here is another chart from the World Gold Council that shows world gold trading patterns from global exchange markets. It is truly a staggering amount of 'gold' that is traded on average every day, 2,692.2 tonnes or $US 112.2 BILLION. That, PER DAY, is almost equivalent to annual world gold mine production. This exposes the rampant paper gold ponzi trade, mainly taking place in London and New York, and why the price of gold is manipulated. Imagine TSHTF if even a small amount was (strategically) called in and actually removed for physical possession? This IMHO shows how extremely rare and important physical gold is and the utter fragility the fake paper gold market hopes to balance on.

market-structure-and-flows-2-fs2 (resized).pngmarket-structure-and-flows-2-fs2 (resized).png
#132 3 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Looks like higher ten-year yields have led to a stronger dollar, tanking gold prices. Or something is "Broken" in the system as the talking finance heads keep saying.
Any other analysis/guesses?

I don't worry too much about the talking heads or other distractions, the trend is more than clear. For timing things I keep it simple and just keep an eye on the seasonal gold chart.

Gold vs. fiat (resized).jpgGold vs. fiat (resized).jpgSeasonal gold (resized).pngSeasonal gold (resized).png
2 weeks later
#149 3 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

I've become bearish on silver and bullish on gold.
Bigger investment with perceived smaller rewards with gold ,if you value physical weight.
Gold seems eternal, silver industrial. The potential for upside short term profits is with silver.
Gold is a long game, but a solid one.
People are buying gold quietly while silver harkers shout from the rooftops.
Silver will remain a Player no matter what happens. There is an underground economy that recognizes silver.

I agree. Silver is nice but gold concentrates more value.

This of course seems obvious but what really brought the point home for me was, back a few years ago, a vendor showed me a 10 ounce bar of silver, about the size of a smart phone, then worth $250. He then pointed to a 1/4 ounce gold coin, slightly larger than a dime but worth over $400.

He went on to say, "A silver dollar might buy you a beer and a burger but a dime sized gold coin will buy you a bottle of Jack and groceries for a month."

This kind of reminds me of some prices in the old west boom towns of the 1880's and 90's. A 'dance' with a lady was 50 cents but a shot of whiskey was a dollar. Humm...today something doesn't seem quite right! By my figuring...well, a silver dollar won't get you jack but a small gold coin will get you 'way' laid!

4 months later
#194 2 years ago

Interesting article and video on the composition and making of the Tokyo Olympic medals:

"(Kitco News) It is no longer a secret that the Olympic gold medals don't contain a lot of the actual yellow metal. But how much gold does it have, and what about silver and bronze medals?

Here's the breakdown:

Gold medal: Only 1.2% of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal is actually gold. The other 98.8% is silver.

Silver medal: The silver medal is the only one that truly lives up to its name. It has the same weight as gold and is made from 100% actual silver.

Bronze medal: The bronze medal is lighter and is made up of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

The data are provided by Compound Interest.

It is even more interesting how Japan got the needed metals to make approximately 5,000 medals that are currently being handed out at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

As part of the "Tokyo 2020 Medal Project," Japan collected approximately 78,985 tons of used small electronic devices. Out of those, 6.21 million were used mobile phones. These were collected all across Japan from April 2017 till the end of March 2019.

Japan managed to collect 32kg worth of gold, 3,500kg worth of silver, and 2,200kg worth of bronze."

https://twitter.com/i/status/1410110230533267458

#196 2 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

I had no idea how low the gold content was. How long has it been that way? That is basically just gold plated.

So, this thread induced me today to make an order online…I plan to make the visit to the coin store next time. I bought a one ounce maple and a one gram maple, should be fun to see those side by side. I’ll take pics and post them when they come in.

It's a modern variation of the age old "clip the coin" scheme, essentially boasting the best with a cheapened imitation!

So...Japan couldn't cough up the other 98.8 % gold for the so called 'gold medals' and substituted gold plated silver for gold!

Ok then...shouldn't 'shrinkflationary' Gold medal winners shrink to nearly as tall as Silver medal winners on the podium, or maybe they should just come out with a new category...'Gold medal LE' winners!?

#197 2 years ago

Another interesting article from Kitco:

https://www.kitco.com/news/2021-08-03/Gold-reserves-fell-10-in-2016-20-but-enough-to-support-production-for-over-10-years-report.html

My comment:
With decreasing gold reserves / resources concurrent with increased production,
this confirms the trend of high grading and / or buying known reserves rather than funding adequately for exploration.

1 week later
#225 2 years ago

"The Producer Price Index for final demand, which is an indication of input price pressures that companies face, and that they’re trying to pass on to their customers, spiked by 1.0% in July from June and by 7.8% year-over-year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics today, by far the highest rate in the data going back to 2010."

https://wolfstreet.com/2021/08/12/container-port-disruptions-in-china-soaring-freight-rates-spiking-producer-prices-as-fiscal-and-monetary-stimulus-still-rage/

This helps lift the lid off why the recent 'paper' smackdown in gold? Think of where and what the POG (Price of Gold) would scream about inflation without such manipulation on an otherwise upward spiking POG disrupting the 'transitory inflation' narrative.

1 month later
#309 2 years ago

Good post phil-lee from the other side of the counter.

A few of my thoughts and facts on the subject:

Silver is used mainly in industrial applications and usually sourced as a byproduct from huge long life and constant base metal mines (lead-zinc ores) or large gold mines. This constant supply buffers demand and not only makes primary silver mines rare but fragile to stand alone financing and pricing issues. Large amounts of high grade ore and impeccable timing/marketing actions are required for successful primary silver mines.

Gold, on the other hand has a much higher 'value to weight ratio' and is much rarer than silver, making it the ideal investment metal. Also, aside from its beauty and long term historical values, gold has very specific, unique and desirable qualities that make it essential in high tech applications (see my earlier post #109 in this thread).
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/precious-metals-gold-silver-and-everything-else/page/3#post-6140657

The annual combined production of the world's two largest gold producers, Newmont and Barrick falls short of gold's annual industrial/high tech demand requirements (Source World Gold Council). Think strategic here, every leading high tech and MIC (Military Industrial Complex) dependent country MUST have gold. This completely demolishes the 'barbarous relic' meme, as indeed gold is the exact opposite.

Platinum and the PGMs (Platinum Group Metals) are much rarer still than gold or silver and are mined in even fewer countries, South Africa is preeminent, with much smaller amounts from Russia, Zimbabwe, USA and Canada. Mainly used in manufacturing and as vehicle emission catalysts, the PGM's straddle the investment and jewelry applications at 15.6% of total usage in 2019. Their extreme and focused rarity also makes them strategic metals. Internal (and external) problems and unrest in South Africa affecting PGM supplies are key here.

Source: 2019 Platinum Facts: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/minerals-mining/minerals-metals-facts/platinum-facts/20520

World reserves of platinum group metals, by country.
Ranking Country Tonnes Percentage of total
1 South Africa 63,000 90.9%
2 Russia 3,900 5.6%
3 Zimbabwe 1,200 1.7%
4 United States 900 1.3%
5 Canada 310 0.4%
- Other countries N/A N/A
Total 69,310 100.0%

PGM's Global Uses (resized).pngPGM's Global Uses (resized).pngWorld PGM production (resized).pngWorld PGM production (resized).pngWorld Production of PGM's + Recycling (resized).pngWorld Production of PGM's + Recycling (resized).pngWorld Supply of PGM's by Source (resized).pngWorld Supply of PGM's by Source (resized).png
2 months later
#376 2 years ago

I had to change the battery in my car keys (2018 Toyota) and...

...there it is inside, nice beautiful shiny gold, doing its high tech thing, making critical electrical connections that don't corrode and fail. Now multiply this by billions if not trillions of essential electrical connections used around the world by the public, industry, internet and government agencies and it's easy to see where 10% (and growing) of annual gold production goes. That amounts to more than the #1 (Newmont) and #2 (Barrick) world gold producers, combined, can produce in a year (source, World Gold Council).

Gold is vital to the nations of the modernizing world but it is very unequally distributed, with more than 75% of reserves present in only twenty countries. Also, the top producing countries so far in 2021 are, in order, China, Australia, USA and Russia. Gold is very strategic, not just vaulted (swapped/stolen/depleted) away as a monetary cornerstone or secured in a jewelry box but stockpiled, coveted, protected and used as a strategic high tech asset.

Gold helps to make sure and start my car in -20 degree winter weather from fifty feet away, gets my car to the grocery store, opens the trunk remotely and locks the valuables inside!

So...as for "You can't eat gold,"...Well, seems to me I can't get food without it!

And, oh yeah..."It's a barbarous relic,"...indeed, hardly!

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#380 2 years ago
Quoted from Crash:

Very interesting, I wonder how much gold that is? Does it compare to a Goldback (1/1000th of a Troy ounce)?

I don't know Crash...but multiply by an ever increasing number of these gadgets/cell phones/MIC stuff/cyber miners/self drivers/e-bikers and other electrical varmints hogging on the quality of gold electrical connectivity and you're talking a lot of tons!

Industrial use of gold in 2020 = 357 tons.

Gold recycling (resized).pngGold recycling (resized).png
#382 2 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

That last Chart is shocking. 90% of cell phones are not recycled? A lot of buyback programs for old phones in the US. What are these phones being tossed in the trash? Prepaid flip phones from third world countries?
Need to freshen up my knowledge on the recycling market.
Thanks!

phil-lee, many cell phones and lap tops etc. are stored away in a drawer, warehoused or wiped and sold after upgrading, not taken to the recycling. Always a chance contained information will be needed again or...cough...inadvertently make its way into a courtroom.
Best if kept stacked and unhacked!

1 week later
#426 2 years ago

I was cleaning up the spot control relay on my 1978 Hit the Deck EM and just had to take a few pics of the switch arm gold contacts. So very shiny after all these years!

HTD 1 Gold contacts (resized).JPGHTD 1 Gold contacts (resized).JPGHTD 2 Gold contacts (resized).JPGHTD 2 Gold contacts (resized).JPG
2 weeks later
#438 2 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Watching Youtube videos of what people are buying in 2022 and amazed.
Home poured silver bars or poured bars with no pedigree?
Coin Dealer- I can't verify purity. Can't buy them or 25% under spot.
Cool cast or poured silver figurines, pyramids, Icons or idols,etc.
Coin Dealer- Try advertising them to recoup investment, not interested.
When you sell it comes down to bullion price or Numismatic value.
It also more importantly comes down to a Coin Dealer who is willing to purchase your bullion.
I am not including Ebay or other online methods of selling coins.
When you need to sell, now, its either a pawn shop or a precious metals dealer.
If the price of silver were to rise to 50 an ounce there would be a line out the door of people looking to sell.
People would not be buying at these prices, only selling.
The Dealer would quickly be up to his ass in high-priced silver nobody is buying.
Silver Unicorns, Pirates, swords and 50 caliber bullets will not garner a premium price. They may not reach spot price.
I am not purchasing silver coins in 2022.
10 ounce silver bars from a reputable source like Royal Canadian Mint, Engelhard or Apmex possibly.
If you envision possibly needing to sell your silver one day go with trusted sources.
Canadian Maples.
American Silver Eagles.
Royal Mint Brittanias
SA Krugerrands.
Perth Mint Kangaroos.
Mexican silver is expensive but you may recoup the price with the right Buyer.
Same with Perth Mint Swan, Kookaburra and Tigers.
Show up to the Dealer ready to sell with Star Wars, Peanuts, John Wick, "Limited rounds", unique poured bars or coins, foreign silver one-offs, less then 999 fine, or even less then an ounce Pandas and;
Prepare to be shocked, offended and pissed at what the Shop will pay.

Agreed and thanks phil-lee, both insightful and well said!

I like most non pure silver (and gold/other metal) objects as interesting works of art but not as investments. Either it's four nines purity in excellent condition from a reputable mint (eg: Maples) for safekeeping as a liquid investment or it's a really good priced art deal or curio I know will be sitting real pretty and forever on my shelf.

My happy hunting grounds for the PM/other metals art stuff are thrift and goodwill shops. From my observations, most people seem to visit these places for cheap used necessities like clothes etc. and leave the art stuff to sit (rightly so as most of it is junk). However, occasionally a few gems pop up and that's why I go there.

The local thrifts are good charities run by kindly older neighbour ladies. I tell them every time my purchases are at giveaway prices and show them the mint or backstamp marks. Always an astonished "We didn't know that!" but to no avail, I'm back two weeks later and with the same revelations and astonishments (usually same older lady too)! Oh well bless them! I just put a few more dollars in the donation box anyways.

Here are a few examples:

1 - Five dollars each, beautifully framed, matted, handmade in Italy with 92.5% silver plate.

2 - Sixteen dollars total, set of four 22K gold plated miniature cups and saucers.

3 - Fifteen dollars, stunning copper tooled sheet and frame of running horses.

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#443 2 years ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Now, it's like Gold is the last Frontier for some sort of wealth insurance.
I think that will hold as long as Sovereign Nations continue to purchase it. It is rumored China may introduce a digital coin backed by gold.
If they can pull that off all bets are off.

Yes, gold is very strategic and has always been tied to world geopolitical/financial events but now is especially essential to precision high tech (as previously discussed).

If, as you say, China tips over the financial apple cart with a gold backed currency, one would think preparations are being made on many sides for such a possibility. Surely, those that desire so will see to it that future gold pricing is very strong but stable.

My bottom of the whisky glass guess is the west has a lot of catching up to do vs. the traditional asian affinity for using and stockpiling gold. Interesting events taking place like Poland's recent central bank purchase of gold (protection). Will that be held in London or New York? Paper or digital? How about ransomed and rehypothecated?

1 week later
#461 2 years ago

For perspective, here's a visual graphic of the World's annual metals production (and for good measure a breakdown of the products of a barrel of crude oil).

- Iron ore for steel making is #1 and 94% of the 3.2 billion tonnes of metals mined in 2019.

- Aluminum is a distant #2 and copper is one third of aluminum production!
(My note: Copper is rare, usually found in huge porphyry hosted orebodies, with reserves/resources expressed in billions of ore tonnes and requiring massive capital and political investments.)

- Tech and precious metals, both increasingly rare and vital, are barely visible on the graphic.

All-the-Metals-We-Mined (resized).jpgAll-the-Metals-We-Mined (resized).jpgBarrel-of-Crude-Oil_8 (resized).jpgBarrel-of-Crude-Oil_8 (resized).jpg
#471 2 years ago
Quoted from radium:

I was most surprised by how much uranium is mined.

Yes, uranium based products are a big World requirement for the energy and other sectors.
I was most surprised by how some uranium is mined!

Most of it is open pitted but for a short while I was an above ground core logging geo at Amok's Cluff Lake mine in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. At the time (1987), they had an underground U mine (plus open pit) and one day only I was below ground touring with the head geo.

Wow, miners drilling blast holes into pitchblende veins at the face, no respirators or masks. Of course they wore pencil dosimeters to measure radioactive exposure levels...but!! A safety protocol was in place whereby anyone with a cumulative high reading above a certain safe level of daily 'rads' exposure was sent above ground to drive a truck for a couple of weeks.

The problem was the underground miners were making such good money and bonus vs. the truck drivers that some used to falsify their self documented daily dosimeter readings. The lunch and bar room talk was that these guys would fry 'n die after continually doing this. Apparently, the thinking was that 'I'm only a few rads over today, so...' I was just astonished but glad to be tucked far away in the core shack.

Incidentally, that northern mining camp was high paying and super deluxe. Being a continental French run outfit, everything was the best. The French cuisine was 'incroyable' for 'les colonies,' as the French honchos used to call Canada!? The bar was 'magnifique' but open for just two hours per shift, serving only beer. It was the only mining/exploration camp I ever worked at that was 'officially' not dry!

Ahh the memories and I'm still here!
(Let's just not start talking about flying with crazy chopper pilots!)

3 weeks later
#482 2 years ago

More perspective:
US Debt of $30 Trillion visualized in stacks of $100 bills. VS. All World money and assets visualized in stacks of $100 bills VS. All the gold ever mined.


pasted_imageAll assets in the world (resized).pngpasted_imageAll assets in the world (resized).pngpasted_imageGold cube (resized).pngpasted_imageGold cube (resized).png

2 months later
#518 1 year ago

It's that time of year again and as the summer lows in the POG (Price of Gold) are approaching, I'm getting ready to back up the truck and buy more of my favourite gold stock, AEM, Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (TSX, NYSE).

Third largest gold producer in the World (after Newmont and Barrick), assets in safe jurisdictions, nice quarterly dividend and AISC (All In Sustaining Costs) of $1,000 / ounce of gold.

As always, not investment advice, dyodd (do your own due diligence).

3 weeks later
#521 1 year ago

A few thoughts on the POG (Price of Gold):

- Usually at this time of year, the POG is beaten down into the summer lows, as per (below) this 40 and 15 year chart at http://www.321gold.com/charts/seasonal_gold.html
This price action rhymes with 'sell in May and go away' but makes for a nice bullish annual cup and handle formation.

- However this year, the POG has been unusually (and understandably) strong, as displayed in yesterday's exceptionally wide $54.10 trading range, from a low of $1824.20, to a high of $1878.30 and closing out near the high at $1872.20.

- This week's raging inflation numbers and stock market meltdown would normally require a concerted smackdown in the POG. Yesterday's smackdown attempt was unusual in that it totally failed.

- I note with interest that the usual reason given for a POG smackdown coinciding with a general stock market meltdown is "gold was sold to cover stock market margin calls."
Well, they can't say that after yesterdays action! Why?

- Covering margin calls from general stock market losses now seems to be at the expense of formerly frothy other sectors like cryptocurrencies, high tech, unicorn IPO's, SPACs and the like. Over the years a lot of money went into these sectors and now a lot of it is coming out through fear and margin calls. For example. the Ethereum long term chart has finally broken down into bear market territory (Bitcoin already had). As sector leaders, they signal a wider bear market in that sector and plenty of margin call and rotation selling cash is/will be available.

The PPT (Plunge Protection Team) will no doubt attempt to remedy this, or not, if that is the plan (but they can always regroup for Monday though, like in 1987!)

However, this year's and particularly Friday's POG action only underlines gold's strength.

(As always, not investment advice and dyodd)

seasonalgc2015 (resized).pngseasonalgc2015 (resized).png
7 months later
#546 1 year ago

Nouriel Roubini, in a very informative interview shares his thoughts on where World financial, economic, geopolitical and commodity market variables, including gold are headed:

https://www.kitco.com/news/2023-01-10/Gold-may-be-your-best-protection-mother-of-all-debt-bombs-nine-other-megathreats-are-looming-Nouriel-Roubini.html

9 months later
#576 6 months ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Cheap whiskey has its place.

...along with a good supply of other 'medicinal' beverages!

I line the bottom of my deep freeze with plastic jugs containing water. This and a few heavy blankets a top the freezer keeps things frozen/cold for quite a while in the event of a power outage. An added bonus is a ready supply of safe drinking water.

#578 6 months ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Everclear would probably be best since it is so potent(pure grain alcohol). The stuff scares me after a youth consuming PJ.

Oh Lordy, yes I survived 'neverclear' too!

Nothing like that blackout / hangover to remind me of my wasted teenage youth on booze and pinball.
Thankfully, I have moved on to brandy, cognac and more pinball.

#582 6 months ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

So do you do "The glass Roll?"
Cognac can be dangerous too!

Oh, I like my warmed up Martell on winter occasions, sure keeps the sinuses clear and colds away!
For everyday value though I've settled on Metaxa.

Interesting how in Victorian times brandy was the ready steadier go to aspirin of the day.

Quoted from phil-lee:

Really weird today when gold went STRAIGHT UP and stayed there.
It was like everyone put in large orders at the same time. Still not sure why other then the usual suspects.

Middle East tensions escalating and gold doing its flight to quality before the weekend, closing above $US 2000!

#585 5 months ago

Price of gold in Japanese Yen, 20 year chart, going exponential and nearly doubling in price in just the last 3 years!
(The Yen is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market).

gold_20_year_o_jpy_x (resized).pnggold_20_year_o_jpy_x (resized).png
1 week later
#586 5 months ago

Interesting and unique perspectives on gold in this Kitco video interview at the 2023 New Orleans Investment Conference. (Much more to it than just the China headline, especially Michelle, the smart and easy on the eyes host).

https://www.kitco.com/news/2023-11-14/China-s-gold-holdings-are-10x-reported-amounts-the-real-reason-Beijing-is-secretly-hoarding-gold-Dominic-Frisby.html

2 months later
#594 83 days ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Seems there is a lot of chatter about silver hate.
A Great awakening about silver and its failure to meet expectations.
Is it real?
Or do they just want to crush and control the Market?

Never really sure about the silver price/market, more variables to evaluate than gold:

- Industrial metal use, varies with the economy rather than geopolitical events, (like gold does).
- It's mainly byproduct from base metal mining of lead/zinc, wartime brings more supply to the market.
- Mexico is the big producer, always a maybe supply/disruption wild card.
- Latest chatter about solar/critical use, see point 1.
- Seems to be late to the party when gold price soars but first to tank, but when she goes she really goes.
- Buying selling needs to be precisely timed, unlike the long term and dependable safety of gold.
- The JP Morgan story is forever out there. They just pay fines and never have to admit. We'll never know.

Having said all that is JMHO but the same rumors of immanent takeoff or crashing of the silver price were constantly bandied about 20 some odd years ago when the price was closer to $4 US/oz. Today, she's over 5X's higher, so...

#596 80 days ago

Thanks phil-lee.

I fail to understand why copper isn't worth more? It's the life blood of the vast electrical world.
What I do know:

- Doctor copper's health depends on the state of the World economy.
- It is somewhat rare, but not in the same league as the precious ones.
- Copper porphyries (low grade, big tonnage, disseminated ores), the main source, need big $ to scale up.
- Chile is the main producer of copper but and so is forever manipulated by the big consumers.
- A decent gold byproduct (or main product) is usually in the Cu ores. This affects recoveries of each.
- A higher gold price will bring more copper to supply (or visa versa, see above point).
- Geopolitics, sanctioning, supply disruptions, as usual, play games with the price.
- Recycling, is it a big factor in price determination?

Copper map (resized).jpgCopper map (resized).jpg
1 week later
#600 67 days ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Quick tip for the weekend;

I agree for the right now but do you have a favorite when the mining stock cycle makes its annual turn in September? (Specifically, I mean gold 'producers,' not exploration stocks).

My favorite is still AEM, Agnico Eagle, where I hold and save up the decent quarterly dividends to buy more in the summer lows. (Smart people buying Kirkland Lake for its Fosterville and Detour Lake mines.)

Having said that, I am keeping a pretty close watch on developments at New Found Gold Corp. (TSX-V: NFG, NYSE-A: NFGC). They have a few years now of very impressive gold grades and widths coming out of their 100% owned 1,662km2 Queensway gold project, located on the Trans-Canada highway 15km west of Gander, Newfoundland. Qualifying reserve / resource calculations are yet to be published but I'm a buyer before that.

1 week later
#608 55 days ago

I found this headline very interesting (and I'm sure Agnico Eagle does too):

Newmont reports solid fourth-quarter profit estimates, plans to divest mines in Canada, Australia

https://www.kitco.com/news/article/2024-02-22/newmont-reports-solid-fourth-quarter-profit-estimates-plans-divest-mines

1 month later
#644 6 days ago
Quoted from phil-lee:

Gold rises after the US Market closes.
Gold is beat down in the morning hours.
Gold rises back to its high.
Rinse and repeat. Traders are trying to make money any way they can with the Stocks down.

Silver is still being manipulated to hell through futures/short contracts.

How come I'm not surprised!

About as surprising as lead, zinc and copper prices outperforming the greenwashed metals!

#661 42 hours ago
Quoted from Ballderdash:

Let’s remember the rules

It's an election year, so put on the rose colored glasses and watch precious and gasoline prices, like reality, get managed accordingly.

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