Afternoon everyone ….
Yesterday a fellow community member put out a question to all our community members.
The questions are???
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MINT, OR IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE, WHICH OTHER ONES DO YOU PREFER?
WHY DID YOU PICK THAT ONE/THESE ONES? IS IT BASED ON DESIGN/PRICE OR OTHER REASONS?
DO YOU MOSTLY BUY FROM THEM?
This is quite a lengthy answer, so I thought a post versus a comment reply would be better.
- WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MINT, OR IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE, WHICH OTHER ONES DO YOU PREFER?
(Part 1)
My two favorite mints of all time have to be Engelhard and Johnson Matthey. They are the two OG gangster mints that put silver stacking on the map. My personal opinion and most old school stackers will say if you don’t own Engelhard bars/rounds and Johnson Matthey bars/rounds you are not a true stacker. These two names are synonymous with stacking. While neither of these mints are still producing product, there is a plethora of their stuff available still. But be prepared to pay the premiums attached to them. Both mints have some very limited production pieces that are highly sought after and extremely collectible.
(Part 2)
Yes I have what I call modern day favorite mints. These are mints that still produce product. The Scottsdale Mint, The Germania Mint, The Intaglio Mint and The Geiger Mint are my favorites. All four of them have impeccable standards and are a cut above the rest without a doubt. I could write a post on each of these four mints individually because there is so much to tell about them. The only thing that I will say is that every stacker should own at least one piece from all of the mints listed above to be a true stacker.
- WHY DID YOU PICK THAT ONE/THESE ONES? IS IT BASED ON DESIGN/PRICE OR OTHER REASONS?
Engelhard and Johnson Matthey are by far the most desired products in all of silver stacking. They both also produced gold bars and rounds which are even harder to obtain. They are classic and are what ever current mint aspires to be.
The other four mints that I listed in no particular order:
Scottsdale Mint: in my opinion they are the modern day Engelhard. They are the leader in privately owned mints in the United States. They produce numerous style bars and rounds, but also produce coinage for several countries. Their designs are classic and detailed, all of their work is top notch.
Geiger Mint: they are the very first mint to have a counterfeit proofing insignia. There products are produced to extremely high standards and all of their products come individually wrapped with a certificate. They primarily produce bars in numerous weights, both ounces and grams since they are a company in Germany. @trumpman’s favorite place.
Germania Mint: They are newer to the scene than either of the above mints. But don’t let that detract you from their quality in any way. Their products are amazing. All of their bars are serial numbered which I love. They are all polished to a mirror finish, and come in an individual box. They also produce very attractively designed rounds as well.
Intaglio Mint: If you’ve been following me and reading my posts for any length of time. You know I’m a huge fan of them. They primarily make rounds, which are all original designs by their team. Their striking of the rounds is crystal clean and well polished. The detail they are able to get with such a small area to put them is unbelievable.
- DO YOU MOSTLY BUY FROM THEM?
I am at a point in my stacking journey that adding weight is not the priority any longer. I am comfortable with the amount of silver that I own, which has made me very selective on what I purchase in silver now. The above mints are my main choices, other than adding vintage rounds or bars when I can find them.
My main goal, which I’m failing miserably at is adding more gold to my holdings. I’ve done very poorly over the years of buying gold. Now with the gold prices high it’s going to be an up hill climb….