Fractional Silver
Fractional Silver is one of, if not the biggest rip off in all of silver stacking. For one, there is simply no real purpose of buying it other than for use in an economic collapse, in which case, constitutional silver will serve just as well. Also, the average one gram silver bar sells for double or triple melt value, and they are just as generic as a 10 oz Sunshine Mint bar, which JM Bullion sells for melt or right above.
Any bullion graded MS69 or below
Any bullion piece, wether it is a first strike or not, will never gain much value as an MS69. Just to prove this point, look at the first year of the ASE. In MS69, the 1986 ASE sells for $40 to $50, but in MS70, it sells for several thousand. This is especially true today, with how prominent grading really is, and even some MS70's never see too much value, so an MS69 doesn't have a chance. If you want true ROI, then stick with First Day Strike and other specialty MS70 coins. Just to give an example of this working for me, I'll mention my 2016 Gold Foil 1 of 2016 First Day West Point Strike MS70 eagle. This coin, when I bought it, cost $85. 3 months later, I watched one sell for over $200. Now, you can't even find them.
Weird Art Bars
When I say weird art bars, I'm not talking about rare Engelhard poured bars. I'm talking about the weird "Happy Birthday" or some other random message ones that pop up on eBay, and cost two or three times melt. They will never see any value, as they are produced by some random manufacturer that carries no weight in this community. I could pour a silver bar, and it'd only sell for melt, because, as a silver pourer, nobody knows who I am. It is the same with these bars.
Coins Graded By Random Companies
If you have been collecting slabbed coins, chances are, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If not, let me explain. I'm speaking of random companies who grade coins, and are often very off from the true grade of the coin. These companies will often clean coins to grade them higher, as they are also the ones trying to sell the coins and scam you. Even if not cleaned by them, they will often except cleaned coins and not put that they are cleaned on the label, or they just have no idea what they are talking about. As a rule of thumb, usually stick to PCGS or NGC. ANACS can be okay, but even they tend to be off.
Anything From Somebody You Don't Know
The biggest mistake somebody can make when getting into silver investing is falling for a deal that is too good to be true. If you don't know that the person you are about to buy from is 100% trustworthy, don't take a risk. Do not be afraid to ask for references, as any reputable dealer will have them and be happy to work with you to earn your trust.
