Dear Readers
When I mention Gold and Silver as the perfect gift, many of us would be forgiven as seeing jewellery in our knee-jerk mental picture. But today I’d like to explore a far more beneficial and uniquely stunning way of giving a loved one a beautiful, high-quality present at exceptional prices, and that is in Gold and Silver bars and coins.
New bars and coins shine almost like nothing I’ve seen. The individual small pieces are miniature works of art, either in the intricate and collectible designs on coins or in the unique bar-coded, breath-taking magnificence of actually holding a small bar of pure real gold or silver in your hands. I’ve worked in the Gold and Silver bullion market for five years now, and have followed the market since 2009, and I cannot think of one person who hasn’t taken a moment to simply look at the bar or coin in their hand the first time they hold Pure Physical Bullion Gold and Silver. First time buyers come to the premises excited to see the variety of products we offer. Gold glows. When it is pure bullion Gold it actually reflects light in a golden hue onto your skin and under the light that is quite a sight; pure Gold has a much richer, softer colour than alloyed jewellery.
A favourite product type of mine are the 1 oz Silver coins. They are almost all, without exception, stunning. The Silver 1 oz Britannias shine particularly well and keep their shine to perfection (if kept in a easily purchased plastic case and not handled excessively.) Bleyer also sell plastic coin capsules and classic lined Wooden Presentation Boxes, so mention this when you order and we’ll help you add in what you need for that perfect present.
Prices of 1 oz Silver coins start from around just £14.50 a coin, which is incredible for such a classy, upmarket gift. The choice of international designs are timeless and capture the essence of each individual country, from the Maple Leaf to the image of Liberty, to the Chinese Panda and Austrian Philharmonic, with its miniature violin design. In addition, there are some themes to match to your loved ones, from Wildlife Designs to stunning sets of coins. Of course, if the Gold prices are a little out of your budget, just browse on over to the Silver section for many of the same eye-catching designs in crisp Silver instead, for a fraction of the price.
And it’s not just Christmas that is cause for celebration. It is traditional during Chanuakah to give silver chocolate coins to children and to play Spin the Dreidel with small silver change. Imagine the joy and special surprise of instead blessing a loved one with a real Pure Silver coin this year! What an investment.
The Moment of Holding Pure Gold and Silver bars and coins for the first time:
I’ve attended many industry or trade shows with Caroline our C.E.O., from County Shows to the London Property Show. And in all, without exception, it is the moment someone has a Gold or Silver bar or coin put into their hands, for the first time, that makes the biggest impression. Now imagine that is your loved one on a cosy Christmas Day, lit by fairy lights. Quite an impression! Gold and Silver bars are solid, instantly feeling the quality in your hands. The smaller Gold bars come in individually numbered and sealed packages, are accessible in price and yet easy to transport discreetly back home, if family are further afield.
Efficient Investing:
Best of all, for you the purchaser, it is the most efficient way to invest in Gold and Silver. Jewellery, on the other hand, has a large premium mark up – often up to 30%-40% above the actual value of the Gold and Silver – whereas the margins for pure Gold and Silver bullion bars and coins are much, much smaller. This is because you are entering an investment market, where the price per gram is well known every day, so investors just won’t trade in products with too much mark up. This means you get far more metal for your money: “Manufactured jewellery has assorted costs. We all know those. Materials (in this case gold), labour, factory costs, sales and marketing, retail margins, transport, and much more. When this item enters the secondhand market nearly all of those, except the gold value, are thrown out the window. Bear in mind, absolutely NO retailer of new jewellery can afford to sell below gold value and a margin without going broke in a hurry.” (How to Value Jewellery)
In addition, different carats make it harder for our friends and loved ones to know exactly how much actual Gold and Silver they are receiving, whereas to receive a 999.99% Gold or Silver bar or coin is instantly recognisable as the purest and most valuable quality there is.
Advantages for you, the purchaser:
The joy of it is that price of Gold and Silver bars and coins are in a period of being “on sale”! I can’t think of any other products that are simultaneously “on sale” AND are the perfect high-value precious gift AT THE SAME TIME. Most prices go up this time of year. But here is an interesting current anomaly of which we might as well take advantage: Physical Gold and Silver prices are likely to stay on hold, while the question of U.S. interest rate hikes is on the horizon.
I’m not saying that makes sense to me, because all the geo-political factors affecting economic instability haven’t actually changed underneath the surface. We still have political unrest, the Syrian-Russian-Iranian coalition, unsustainable GDP to debt ratios in the U.S., Europe and sadly Britain. But nevertheless, the white-wash of rising U.S. interest rates seem to play a temporary hallucinatory affect on the belief that the global economy is “healthy.” And while that happens, Gold and Silver prices tend to suppress. The reasoning makes no more sense that the illusion but there we have it. Why not use that to our advantage and buy up some more Physical Gold and Silver while this anomaly occurs?
“With gold falling to a seven-week low it may seem an odd moment to outline the case why the gloom over the yellow metal may finally be starting to lift. The usual suspects of looming higher U.S. interest rates and a stronger U.S. dollar are being blamed for the latest bout of weakness, but while gold may struggle in the short term, its medium-term outlook is somewhat more promising. While a period of relatively low volatility doesn’t by itself indicate a rally (or a collapse) is imminent, it does show that the strong selling period of 2013 is history. What will drive the gold price over the medium-term? Short-term factors and news events can always shift gold (and other asset classes), but over time the price tends to be driven by the big picture.” (Reuters, November 9th 2015)
Our sales at Bleyer are strong at the moment, which means many of our clients are wide awake, not being lulled away from owning their own Physical Gold and Silver just because the mainstream media shouts about the “health” of the global economy.
“[There] was a Western fear of monetary meltdown in the wake of the 2008 global recession, strong physical demand [of Gold and Silver] from India and China on the back of a rising middle class, and unprecedented buying [of Gold] from central banks, particularly those in the developing world. While the Western fear trade has largely disappeared, the China and India story is coming back and central bank demand remains solid. China and India account for just under half of physical gold demand and here the outlook is positive over the medium term. The collapse in Shanghai’s equity market will have acted as a reminder of gold’s use as a store of value, and if the precious metal can continue even a mild uptrend, it will encourage China’s consumers. China’s gold consumption rose 7.83 percent in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2014, the China Gold Association said on Nov. 4th. Backing this figure up was data showing that China’s net imports from Hong Kong, the main conduit for gold to enter the mainland, jumped to a 10-month high in September, with imports having gained for three straight months.” (Reuters)
So, while the paper price of Gold and Silver remain “suppressed”, that is not fooling the Chinese. I never like us Brits to miss out on a good thing. Yet our classic British mindset is both a massive international advantage, and a flip-side disadvantage, in that we are very level headed and cautionary. On the one hand, that means we were the first country to advise our citizens not fly over the Sinai this last week. These tragic events jolted the Syria-Russian conflict onto the international stage in the most cruelest of ways. I was in the air flying back from Greece just a few hours before the Russian Metrojet went down through a terrorist attack. But it was the British (and Israeli) intelligence that got it right in the cause of the crash within the first 24 hours. Other nations trailed behind on that information. So our cautionary nature and our clear analytical thinking is one of our greatest international strengths.
But on another level, on matters on Gold and Silver investment, we trail behind the East and I’m sorry to say, Russia. When Britain stood as an independent and great maritime nation things were different; we were known as traders in Physical Gold and Silver and many of us can remember a time when our grandparents and great-grandparents owned Gold and Silver. But now we sit, like a somewhat half-entity, both in Europe and yet trying to maintain our sovereignty out of the European economic mess, we have lost some of our gravitas. (Plus we have lived as part of a global credit economy for 40+ years). As we have explored many times in our blogs at Bleyer, China and India are both years ahead of the British government in their advice to their public on the acquisition of Physical Gold and Silver.
While in Greece two weeks ago, I saw first hand, that affects of living in a socialist society in the failed European experiment. Just one example is that no park, roundabout or public space has any water. Planted roadsides are now just barren roundabouts with metal watering tubes laying impotently in the dust. All paddling pools and fountains were dry. It is sobering to think that, even if that was the only act of government poverty showing, it immediately makes a country look dusty and third-world. The Greeks call the weeks when there was no money from cash point machines “The Crisis.” “Things got a bit sticky,” say the Brits, referring to when the shops couldn’t replenish certain foods. Even in the upmarket areas things have changed. In every restaurant, you are now obliged by law to take away your receipt. If the restaurant refuses to give you a receipt you – by a new law – are not obliged to pay. This is a desperate overdue attempt by the Greek government to stamp out corruption in denial of profit income by businesses, which was rife. But you can’t tax the small minority who can still afford to eat in restaurants to try to pay for the increasing number dependent on benefits. The maths just doesn’t add up. The socialist European experiment is crumbling in plain view. The question for us as a nation, and most importantly as individuals, is are we going to learn from the East on how to spot an economic safe haven, while we still have time?
TAX Advantages:
There aren’t many gifts one could purchase at this time of year that are V.A.T. free. Investment Gold is one of them. You will be charged no V.A.T. on any of our Gold products. In addition, there are TAX advantages for the loved one to whom you give! When they sell, there is no Capital Gains Tax on all our Gold products, plus Silver Britannias (as these, although Silver, are a “coin of the realm.”) For more information on how to make your money go further with Physical Gold and Silver call one of the Bleyer team now on 01769 618618 or drop us an email and we will call you at a time which is convenient for you: sales@bleyer.co.uk
Anniversary and Wedding Gifts:
Gold and Silver make wonderful gifts at any time of year. I gave a 2.5 g Gold Bar as a gift to a couple, on their Silver Wedding anniversary; as a blessing of looking ahead to their Golden anniversary! Now, as I see Christmas shopping and products start to fill the shops, I think how perfect a small gift of Gold and Silver would be to many of my loved ones. The couple to whom I gave the Gold Bar lived overseas and so I simply popped it in my cabin bag. It was only 2.5 grams and I’m allowed 23 kg in my hand luggage with British Airways as standard; just obviously keep it in your handbag or cabin bag. Plus Gold bars and coins take up far, far less room than most presents as they are compact and slim and they won’t get squashed! Perfect for the light or regular traveller.
*As a general rule, domestically you can carry as much “currency” as you like and up to a face value of 10,000 euros within the E.U. before you have to fill in a form to declare it. If in doubt, check on the Customs website. The 2.5 gram Gold bar was about the size of a sim card and my bag was not opened nor was I asked any questions. However, if you are carrying a fair amount you are legally allowed to ask for a private screening, to keep your information safe from other travellers.
Pocket Money:
Lastly, one of our newer clients is being really rather savy. They are giving their children their pocket money is Silver coins. A perfect way to ensure pocket money isn’t spent too easily, plus teaching investment skills to the next generation.
Call now for a no-obligation talk with one of our team at Bleyer. We’re here to help and encourage our clients to take their time, think through exactly what they budget may be and choose the products that work best for you. We look forward to hearing from you. Christmas trade is busy, so we recommend calling soon to avoid disappointment in ensuring you receive your perfect choice of Gold and Silver products for you and your loved ones.
01769 618618
sales@bleyer.co.uk