patrick.net

Context in Global Rankings
• United States: 8,133 tonnes (22% of global reserves).
• Germany: ~3,352 tonnes.
• Italy & France: ~2,400–2,500 tonnes each.
• China: Officially ~2,304 tonnes, but possibly closer to 3,000–4,000 tonnes if hidden reserves are included. My estimate is China actually owns 5K tonnes and USA owns 9K tonnes.

DeficitHawk says

Whether the payback is enough recoup our investment before it exterminates us in another question...

The price of silver is once again at an all time high. It is currently at $55.55. it was at $55.71 earlier today. It's previous all time high was back in October with a price of $54.50.

The previous two times it set record highs were in 1979 and 2011. Those times it spiked up and then went back down pretty quickly. It seems to be holding above $50 an ounce.

I have a jar with a couple hundred dollars worth of old "junk" (pre 1965 90% silver) coins that I had planned on cashing in when silver peaked over $50 an ounce. Here we are and I am not sure if I should cash in. If I took the cash (+/- $10K) what would I do with it?

Onvacation says

I have a jar with a couple hundred dollars worth of old "junk" (pre 1965 90% silver) coins that I had planned on cashing in when silver peaked over $50 an ounce. Here we are and I am not sure if I should cash in. If I took the cash (+/- $10K) what would I do with it?

Role the dice on this one. It is crazy that its holding at such a high amount. The two previous times I think were from market manipulation, this one people are buying it all up and we have a debt crisis. Even gold it at all time high.

Onvacation says

If I took the cash (+/- $10K) what would I do with it?

Invest it in your sailboat? Wait for it to crash and replace with silver eagles? HODL?

Maga_Chaos_Monkey says

Invest it in your sailboat?

Sailboats aren't investments.

If I had invested all of the money I put into sailing over the last 4 decades I would be a decamillionaire.

Onvacation says

Sailboats aren't investments.

Unless they help you save money like you live aboard it as a primary residence, or you save money using it for a vacation versus staying at an expensive resort.

Or you get your 6-pack captains license and make money using it as a charter boat.

Silver broke $60 an ounce today.

Onvacation says

Silver broke $60 an ounce today.

I wonder who is buying up silver, and if it is the younger generation who have non traditional ways of investing. Central banks in Russia and Saudi Arabia have been buying a lot of silver this year.

Silver prices have surged in 2025 mainly because of tight supply, strong investor demand, and expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts. The metal has doubled in value this year.

Key Drivers Behind Silver’s Rise in 2025
• Structural Supply Deficit
• The silver market is in its fifth consecutive year of deficit, with a shortfall of about 95 million ounces in 2025.
• Mine production has been declining for a decade, especially in Central and South America, due to closures and resource depletion.
• Stockpiles at the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell to their lowest since 2015, intensifying scarcity.
• Investor Demand & Safe-Haven Appeal
• Economic uncertainty, trade tensions, and inflation concerns have driven investors toward silver as a hedge against currency devaluation.
• Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are expected to hit record holdings next year, amplifying demand.
• A “silver squeeze” in October highlighted the lack of available physical metal, pushing prices sharply higher.
• Federal Reserve Policy Expectations
• Anticipation of rate cuts by the Fed has boosted demand for precious metals, since lower rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like silver.
• Investors are betting on a more dovish Fed stance, which supports silver alongside gold.
• Industrial Demand
• Silver is critical for solar panels, electric vehicles, semiconductors, and AI components.
• China’s surge in solar installations has further tightened supply.
• Even with slight declines in some industrial sectors, the green energy transition keeps silver demand elevated.

AD says

• Industrial Demand

I think industrial demand is the key driver of the recent silver price spike.

Traditionally silver and gold were used for money, jewelry, or was just hoarded because it is valuable and represented all of the labor it took to mine and refine it. Precious metals have been melted and reformed for millennia. For the most part they were not lost just changed forms.

Gold is like that. it gets melted and formed into new jewelry, coins, and bars. Even the tiny amounts (cumulatively not tiny) used in electronics are worth recovering because of gold's high value. Gold accumulates.

Silver gets used. It is the most reflective and conductive of the metals. it doesn't corrode and has antimicrobial properties. It has countless industrial uses in addition to it's "Money" value. The cost of recycling it often far exceeds it's market value. Silver gets used up.

There is plenty of silver and gold in the world if you want to invest the capitol and labor to get it.

Onvacation says

Silver gets used.

One of the biggest uses of silver was film photography. The introduction of digital cameras did affect silver prices for a while.

The only certainty is that the dollar will go to zero because the Federal Reserve exists.

This means that silver will go to infinity in dollar terms. But silver will still be worth about the same it always was worth. An ounce of silver will buy a meal in a decent restaurant.

It's an excellent store of value. Doesn't really go up or down. That's why we should use it for money once again.

yet, AI states this

AD says

A gold bar that size would be way to heavy to hold so casually.

HeadSet says

A gold bar that size would be way to heavy to hold so casually.

He was curling it like a dumbbell. Putin's a beast.

Silver went over $62 an ounce. Another all time high price

Silver over $63 now.

When will the price stop going up?

Has to hit about $150 to exceed its inflation adjusted all time high.

Misc says

Has to hit about $150 to exceed its inflation adjusted all time high.

Yes, and silver has only increased about 2% a year since its last all time in 2011 and about 0.5% annually since 1980's all time high :-/

Its about inventory and how productive the silver mines are, and demand for silver such as for solar panels.

... and pays no dividends!

Silver over 65 dollars an ounce. Another high.

$66.31/oz. and climbing.

How much is silver really worth?

FreeAmericanDOP says

... and pays no dividends!

True, you give up dividends and interest, but you get protection from inflation.

It's good for holding value, unlike the US dollar.

HeadSet says

A gold bar that size would be way to heavy to hold so casually.

perplexity.ai:

Central banks and large bullion dealers typically hold “Good Delivery” gold bars, most commonly around 400 troy ounces (about 12.4–12.5 kg / 27.3–27.5 lb).

Patrick says

Central banks and large bullion dealers typically hold “Good Delivery” gold bars, most commonly around 400 troy ounces (about 12.4–12.5 kg / 27.3–27.5 lb).

True, but that standard size is about 7 inches log. That bar looks much larger than that, unless Putin has really small hands.

I read that the standard bars are sometimes 10 inches long, but same weight.

Price of silver bouncing around $67 per ounce.

New high: $69.50

The US Dollar has fallen to $70 per ounce of silver.

Some of the rally is due to stockpiling given silver is used quite a bit in solar panels and electronics, and a lot in a Tomahawk cruise missile.

But also some of it is due to a speculative bubble forming this year. That is why I don’t expect a large crash but some correction in silver and gold prices. Like every other asset class, it should return to the mean.

The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the price of silver from the end of 2021 to December 2025 is approximately 31.2%.

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for US inflation from 2021 to present day (December 2025) is approximately 4.57%. The cumulative price increase over this four-year period was 19.56%.

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for silver from December 1970 to December 2025 is approximately 7.29%.

The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for U.S. inflation from 1970 to late 2025 is around 4%.

Silver: $75/oz.

Silver up 11% for day and now at $79.50. Once precious metals cool off, there will be a rotation back to Bitcoin.

Silver spiked to almost $84/oz today. Back down to $76.

Onvacation says

Silver: $75/oz.

and the US mint selling 1 oz eagles for $95. Any idea where i can buy guaranteed 99.9% silver for $75 oz?

@komputodo

This guy will probably sell you silver for 4% over spot price, which isn't bad:

https://www.mishinternational.com/

So $78/oz when spot is $75/oz.

I think you can't do better unless you go upstream and buy in bulk, or directly from a silver miner or refiner.

komputodo says

and the US mint selling 1 oz eagles for $95. Any idea where i can buy guaranteed 99.9% silver for $75 oz?

The prices you see reported are generally based on a single silver contract. 5000 troy ounces.

Kinda gives a look at the level of wealth inequality in this country/

The vast majority of people are poor

“The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor.”

― Voltaire

AD says

But also some of it is due to a speculative bubble forming this year. That is why I don’t expect a large crash but some correction in silver and gold prices. Like every other asset class, it should return to the mean.

have RE prices and car prices returned to the mean?

Misc says

The prices you see reported are generally based on a single silver contract. 5000 troy ounces.

what happens when sovereign wealth funds buy 1000 contracts and want delivery and the sellers can't find that amount of silver anywhere near those prices?

I think the price just goes up. Reported price is just the price of the most recent transaction.

But there's no proof that those numbers are real. London was faking interest rate reporting for years:

The London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) scandal involved the manipulation of interest rate reporting by major banks in London, with evidence suggesting collusion among financial institutions and pressure from regulators during the 2008 financial crisis.

Libor, a benchmark rate used in approximately $350 trillion worth of financial instruments globally, was calculated based on estimates submitted by a panel of leading banks regarding their borrowing costs, rather than actual transactions.

Between 2007 and 2009, Barclays and other banks were found to have submitted false rates for two primary reasons: to benefit traders' positions and to manage public perception of the bank's financial health.