Precious Metal Coins and Bars / Rounds in Baton Rouge

Whenever there is uncertainty regarding future values of cash, we see buyers in Baton Rouge flee from cash and flight to precious metals like gold and silver. Our buyers choose precious metals for a variety of reasons: accumulation of wealth, protection against inflation, or for store of value during war and political crisis. The options of what, when, where, and how to buy gold and silver can seem overwhelming when you’re just getting started.

What Coins or Rounds / Bars to Buy?

Investors have the option to buy precious metals in a few different forms. The different forms include government minted coins, privately minted bars and rounds, and for silver only, junk silver (old US currencies). How do you choose what to purchase?

Well, for starters, the government minted gold and silver coins have a face value on the coin, so that the coin can be treated just like cash and may have legal benefits depending on your jurisdiction. These coins have a specific amount produced each year, so they are more collectable and are generally more recognizable than the privately minted counterparts. The coins carry a bigger premium above spot price than bars and rounds whenever you purchase them, but you also get more money, generally speaking, for them when you trade them into your local gold and silver coin dealer.

The privately minted gold and silver bars and rounds are another option. While these bars and rounds carry a smaller premium than coins, you don’t receive as much money back when you trade them in. The bars and rounds produced generally don’t have any collectability. They are traded solely based on weight, purity, and current gold and silver price. They are not as liquid as the government minted coins, so they cannot be accepted the same as cash and may be treated differently under the law. They are, however, still a great store of value if the liquidity and collectability aren’t what you are looking for.

The reality that we see in our Baton Rouge gold and silver market is that buyers don’t overwhelming lean one way over the other when deciding what form they want to invest in. At Gold & Silver of Louisiana, we see a bigger market for Silver Eagles over the privately minted rounds and bars, but we see buyers looking for both. We’ve noticed, however, that each individual buyer generally sticks to one method. The coin enthusiasts stick to coins. The privately minted investors continue to choose bars and rounds, and those looking for junk silver and fractional (less than one ounce) silver stay with old US currencies. There are pros and cons to all methods of buying when comparing them to each other. Stop by Louisiana Gold & Silver in Baton Rouge to learn more or give us a call at 225-366-1000.