Is there really any difference besides the obvious?
EDIT: What I’m really asking does it matter if I buy coins or bars at the end of the day? Is it worth it to avoid most of the premiums associated with buying Canadian Maple Leafs and what not?
bump
You can buy bold bullion (bars) at spot price basically. Coins have a markup from minting.
Dunno which one’s easier to cut 
Prolly the bars (coin → metal wire inside?)
i doubt it makes much difference right now. it doesnt seem that the historical dollar definition will be used soon again so having already minted coins probably doensnt mean much from a circulation-money perspecitve.
collertors coins perhaps still has a market.
It depends on what your goals are.
If your fears are inflation and sovereign default without total economic collapse and bullion confiscation, then buy gold bars. They are the most stable with the smalled spot. If your fears include all of the above, then buy silver coins.
The coin vs bar question is a question regarding societal stability and confiscation risk. The gold vs silver debate is that of and ultimate inflation hedge with next to no chance of gains versus a more volatile hedge with (presently) a moderate to high chance of gain (depending whos numbers you use).
I stick with silver. I started in coins for a specific kind of protection. I have since met my goal reserve and now am buying bars.
I stick with silver. I started in coins for a specific kind of protection. I have since met my goal reserve and now am buying bars.
how do you(and other people that you know) deal with security? e.g.do you make a bailment in a vault? have a private vault? do you take out an insurance policy on your holdings?
First and foremost, I am private about my holdings. I consider that the most important layer of security. I hold all of my silver in a private and well hidden safe. I deliberately do not insure them, as I don’t want them declared. As I am still a semester or two from graduating college, my holdings are respectible but relatively small. I haven’t yet decided as to how I am going to store the larger sums I intend to purchase in the coming year(s). As I also plan on expatriating around that time, I will likely insure them at that point but store them in a private vault.
Interesting, thanks for the ideas!