I participated in my first "silver stacking" contest yesterday. I am new to the idea of stacking, but have been collecting silver for several years. I was asked an interesting question by 
Why Silver?
Okay, I have a small stash of gold, but I bought the gold in one gram increments. The main reason why I choose silver over other precious metals is that it is fungible. All precious metal should be fungible in the event of an economic crash of some sort. But how does one purchase a gallon of gas with a one-ounce gold coin? It isn't practical for common purchases. It is a great store of value, but not realistic for smaller exchanges. I even have bulk silver coins (lots of dimes) for micro purchases, if needed. But that is just one reason why I personally prefer silver.
The value of silver to gold has changed in recent years. In 2005, silver was sitting around seven dollars to four hundred dollars for an ounce of gold. Just before the markets crashed in 2008, silver was trading around twelve dollars per ounce, gold was at 700. The ratios were pretty close still. Gold was situation at about 50 times the price of silver. Gold prices have been down over the past year, making it more attractive. But currently, gold is priced at 1300 per ounce while silver is at 17. That places gold at 75 times the value of silver. That seems a bit off kilter to me. I am sure an economist can explain why. I am just a layman. But with silver relatively close to its pre-market crash prices, it seems like a good buy (I purchased most of mine at fifteen). If it gets back to fifteen, I will probably buy more. If it spikes back towards fifty, I will sell.
I am interested in hearing from the silver collectors here. My personal reasons are personal. I have not done a lot of research in this area, which is what prompted me to post this question. I have explained my personal non-economist views on the matter. But I am interested in other perspectives. Maybe it will be enough to push me to double down on my investment!
Fire away!
