Demand the silver you want! Or make your own!

I have to say I’m rather dismayed at the market as such. The way I see it between growing nation debt, teetering banks, the imploding housing market, growing unemployment and the destruction of the U.S. hegemony there is no way the U.S. Dollar should be growing in strength.

An even greater injustice is the prices in the metals market where it is more and more apparent that physical silver and small sizes of physical gold are quickly disappearing from a massive rebirth in interest for metals investing. Yet prices reflect the paper fantasy rather than the physical reality of the metals market.

Talk here and other sites have been sparked interest in the ideas of a silver buyers cooperative(s)/buyers club or the creation of small artisan companies to acquire bulk silver in the form of trade bars(1000 oz) or silver shot (pellets of silver used in jewellery and industry) and convert this silver into the sizes investors actually want, ranging from 10 to 100 oz bars, (while many investors like rounds, the labour and equipment is much more intense and expensive to create uniform blanks and strike them with a 60 tonne press as opposed to casting a small bar)

These approaches are certainly a possibility but it’s going to take some work and some luck to find people interested in such ventures and those with the physical skills (foundry or metal working experience) or and organizational/legal skills to make this work. Of course there is also the need for a business plan that will prove that such conversions to small bars can be done within the current markets range of premiums between large and small silver.

Since I have nothing else to do between my full time job, 2 blogs, 2 hours of commuting/day, a family and my expected participation in a upcoming election campaign, I’m willing to act as a point of contact, organizer, sounding board for anyone else who is interested in such a venture. I’d also be willing to advertise for and sell (and buy for my personal stash) any product made buy such an endeavour. Should you or someone you know and can coerce is interested is this contact me. Ideally we could form such venture in both Canada and the U.S. to keep things simple regarding shipping and customs but one can be made to work.

Take the pole on the side bar regarding willingness to participate in such a venture

My second item today is to ask you for your help. Two weeks ago I wrote the Royal Canadian Mint asking them a bunch of questions and made some suggestions and I’ve received sweet F.A. as a response. I’d like others to approach them with similar queries to see if we can get some movement.

Plz don’t cut and paste, write them with your own thoughts and words.

Essentially what I said was

If you’ve been following the metals market of late you would know that there is a serious disconnect between the paper and physical price of metals, especially silver bullion. This disconnect is most obvious when you look at the higher premiums that silver bars are demanding vs. the current spot prices, demand is not being met and this premium is rising.
So, does the Royal Canadian Mint have any stockpile of small silver? (5,10,20,50,100 oz bars)

Will the mint release any such stockpile to meet this growing demand?

Is the mint currently making, considering making or considering increasing production of this type of product?

If not why? The rising demand for physical silver is allowing silver bars to be sold from 4-6 dollars an ounce above the current spot price depending on size of bar. This would seem to be an ideal business model where the mint could turn 1000oz bars or silver shot into highly demanded products at a 30-40% margin.

Since your mandate states

As a profit making Crown corporation, the Mint's mandate is to produce a fair return on investment for its sole shareholder, the Canadian government.

the mint should be embracing this opportunity to make a fast buck selling the public the silver bars there desire.

Send your queries off and lets see if we can get any satisfaction, thanks

Silver moments: Meeting another believer

I was milling about the Scotia metals desk on Friday waiting and waiting and waiting. It seemed there was quite a rush to acquire precious metals suddenly, driven by the dire warnings coming out the U.S. and the recent price collapse. A collapse which is obviously not supported by the level of retail demand we are seeing, as quoted in numerous articles much more eloquent than mine.

I went in about 1:00 with the intention of picking up a few of the last maples Scotia had in stock. A fellow hoarder/collector/bug told me he’d just picked up 15 in the morning and they were down to 70 coins from the 6000 they had 3 weeks earlier. Since I did not have any 2008s for my kids this year (My previous page of maples this year turned out to be 2001 resale product not new) I figured I pop over and get back to my desk in a reasonable amount of time, HA!

The line up was about 10 people long, which is not unheard of considering this desk also does currency exchange but there were also several people hovering about clutching the pick copy of their metals purchase, mmmm peculiar!

Quickly they announced that people wanting U.S. funds should go to a regular teller as they were all occupied doing metals trades, something I had never heard before. Of course the goof in front of me who wanted U.S. dollars refused to move lines costing me another 10 minutes.

Finally I placed my order with one a teller who must think everything is top secret refusing to tell me how many maples were left, or how much they’d been selling. I did find out there was nothing left in silver but maples and Good delivery Bars.

Because of her relcutance to give me any details I complained that the bank should have a plasma screen up where we could see metal quotes, bank buy and sell prices, and inventory levels for products at the branch. Like people want to wait 40 minutes for a quote or to be told there is nothing in stock, idiots!

With my order booked and paid I was told to go have a coffee or mill about as the fellow pulling the orders was behind and someone still had to go down, pick them up in the vault and bring them to customers. I opted to hang around and watch this group pick up their purchases, just to get a feel for what was being happening. I saw a youngish fellow pick up what was a I believe a gold Maple, as well as two older fellows with long beards and a hippyish feel to them who both picked up an envelopes, I could not see they were getting but it was small so probably also a gold coin or wafer.

What also struck me was the fact that it was not the usual elderly Asians doing most of the buying but rather a representive mixture of the population. Rarely do I see anyone my own age(mid 40s) or younger buying gold or silver.

While I’m watching all this another fellow walks over and says,” You buying too” gesturing to my receipt, “Getting 1000?”,

I responded, “ah No, I don’t have that kind of money, I’m just getting a few maples before they run out” , "I invested what I could a couple of years ago and now just nickel and dime when I can"

Turns out this was not his fellows first purchase and he’s there well prepared to take his Good delivery Bar home in a little piece of luggage with wheels and a handle, understandable considering the weight and lack of handles on a 1000 oz bar of silver. We exchanged a few words regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s imminent demise, the FDIC Friday night announcements of yet another bank failure (see Columbian Bank and Trust failure this weekend), the abysmal supply of silver in Toronto, Scotias slowness and Kitco’s nerve taking money now and promising delivery later.

I was called away at this point to pick up my coins but I was very glad to have met another silver ubber Bull, glad that some people deep pockets are buying up the large bars I cannot afford and most importantly, I left suffering ingot envy.

Scotia is probably out of maples again by today but for any of you well heeled types out there 1000 oz bars are available. I don’t know how many bars they have other than the “lots” the teller reluctantly gave up. If you can swing the cost of one of these bars this is the best price per oz you're likely to see this year, the lowest premium and apparently one of the few games in town for silver buyers. Try to convince family members of the validity of silver investments and perhaps you can share a bar to make it affordable. I would with my family, if only they thought I was sane!

Looking for silver in all the wrong places

I've been having a hellish summer not just because of the weather but the expectation that I can manage a 2 1/2 person job alone for 4 of the last 6 Weeks, arggg.

This frenzied state has left me little time and too sore (carpal tunnel) to blog much recently, but since this was so important I thought I'd share it with you while I try to wolf down my Tim Horton's Chili (mine tastes so much better)

On the few occasions I've gotten away from my desk this summer I've bolted over to the Scotia Tower or the coin dealers to see who if anybody has some silver, for the most part I've come up dry. While Scotia did have 6000 maples 2 weeks ago they've had very few bars since winter and when they do they never stay in stock too long.

This week while on a jaunt with a fellow metals investor we went over to a Jewellery mall in downtown Toronto. This building has open vendors on the first floor but also has 16 more floors containing manufacturers, custom jewelers specializing in insurance replacement, gem importers, diamond setters and wholesalers and 1 lone refiner. ding ding ding, we have a winner.

While the powers that be make sure there is little to no silver available for us retail investors in the normal places like Scotia Bank they cannot allow the Jewellery industry to report shortages or the game is lost.

So guess what? I've found silver in many sizes, comparable prices to online retailers like Border gold and unlike Scotia they don't ask for 2 pieces of I.d. They do ask you name and number but since they don't ask for proof, what you tell them is your business. They also buy scrap at fair prices so you don't need the pawn brokers or outfits like the "cash man"

So for my few GTA readers who can't find silver you want to go to

GOLD EXPRESS REFINING LTD
SUITE 401
21 Dundas Square
Toronto, ON M5B 1B7
(416) 363-0584‎

If you score big, send me a one ounce finders fee, or even a silver dollar.

For those of you in different cities I suggest that you find out where the jewellers buy their silver. Since I suspect the PTB will be reluctant to squeeze this market, they should be able to sell you or perhaps even order you what you want.

With this weeks correction, do it now and buy buy buy!!!

Yes we have no silver today- revisited

Months ago just after the price collapsed in silver and we all ran out to stock up , we came to the shocking revelation that despite all the bluster about growing inventories at the Comex there was indeed a retail silver shortage. Since that time we have seen Jason Hommel and his pissing contest with the Perth mint over delivery delays (on straight sales, and redemption of certificates into physical bullion) and if they mean they don’t have the all silver they Claim. Being a mere peasant in the big scheme of things I will take no stance on the issue as I don’t need to get sued. I will however state that we do know is that some companies have made it a practice to sell metal certificates and not back them, not only that they have the cojones to charge their clients storage on these invisible bullion bars. We also know that Morgan Stanely stated that charging storage on nothing is a widespread industry practice.

Next up was Mr Butler's belief that there is a large and growing shortfall in silver backing for the silver ETF based on the amount of short selling in SLV which dilutes the silver backing of the ETF because short sellers don’t contribute silver to the fund. The entire short position can be considered a silver shortage in the ETF and therefore a default in his estimation of 25-50 million ounces. The ETF as envisioned is a great tool for silver investment for those unable or unwilling to buy, carry and store silver but what started as a way to encourage demand is now diverting demand from real silver which would tighten the supply and make us profits. If the markets are allowed short SLV is has become a tool of silver manipulation and a failed experiment.

In the same shortage trend the U.S. mint is rationing Silver Eagles to dealers because after already beating last years sales volume they cannot access a large enough supply of silver blanks to maintain production at today’s level of demand. I’m rather surprised that the mint would not manufacture it’s own blanks and supply private mints rather than depending on outside supply?
What do I know!
At this point collectors, vendors and the Silver Institute have all called on the mint to meet its mandated obligation to fill the markets demand for the coin.

Locally we’ve had a dry spell for Maple Leaf silver coins which at least at Scotia Bank in Toronto has been cleared up with a recent deliver of 6000 ounces. The girl at the counter seemed to think this was an excessive amount but when this is the only silver they have in stock I don’t doubt the cupboard will be bare again within a week. The clerk told me they did have a 100 oz, 3x10 oz and a single old 20 oz on hand first thing in the morning but they were already gone yesterday by 2:00.

On a side note they must also be moving a large amount of small gold in the last couple of years encouraging Scotia to commission brand new Scotia bars in sizes from 1-20 oz as well as ¼, ½ , and 1oz rounds. You usually sell your old stock first so I have to assume that all the old Johnson and Matthey, and the newer Royal Canadian Mint bars they use to flog are gone. I need to get my act in gear and round up a little extra cash, I’ve always wanted a few Sovereigns and it looks like I’d best buy them soon before they too are all gone. Of course I’ll get those mail order form B.C. to avoid Ontario PST.

If you do buy gold for possible future transactions don’t buy 1 big bar, stick to 1 oz, fractionals if you can stomach the premium, Sovereigns or those cute little Mexican 2, 2.5 and 5 peso coins which are probably the cheapest way to get small denomination gold. Eagles, Maples, etc in fractional sizes cost to damn much.

What this comes down to is people are buying heavily into silver when they can find it. Despite all the claims and promises it’s quite obvious that there is no where near enough physical silver to cover all the paper obligations and the time to accumlate is soon to end. If each Silver investor can find just one more person and convince them that silver is the commodity opportunity of the century, we will have the buying power to bring this real but hidden silver shortage to the public’s notice and when that happens all hell will break loose. There may be a problem however, I think small silver is actually being pulled in and converted back to delivery bars. This allows the Comex to show healthy deposits and at the same time it pulls the appropriate sized bars for small investors off the market thwarting our demand and consumption.

It seems all we can do is scramble around and seize what supply we can, place orders, wait and see if they will get filled, but in the end if you cannot find enough silver DO BUY SOMETHING!, add a little gold to the mix. While many (including me) don’t believe gold has the same potential as silver it certainly is better than the fiat toilet paper world Governments are passing off as money.

Trying to catch up!

Well it’s been a while but I hope I’ll up to posting a little more often considering the rash of big news that’s broken recently. I’ve had some issues with holidays both mine and people who’s work I have to cover, summer apathy and a sore paw in the form of carpal tunnel that is making several fingers twitch uncontrollably and makes my wrist ache.

I got a couple of letters and facebook notes about my Independence day post but was rather disappointed that I did not attract greater attention or at least a little flame war to liven things up a bit, oh well, next year I’ll be blunter;)


First off I’ll take care of the blog accounting and gloating, not only did my prediction from last Nov of $140 a barrel come true but now that both investment bank Bear Stearns and commercial bank IndyMac have taken the big dirt nap , I can with no reservations say I’ve met that prediction as well. Of course I don’t expect that to be the end of the financial bloodshed for this calendar year.


So what’s next?


As I see it we are assured more bank failures this year and probably a greater number next year. The FDIC which has over 90 banks on its watch list says that 8 banks including IndyMac have failed this year. While both of these numbers are low compared to the tally after the S&L Crisis, the FDIC will be forced to use nearly 20% of it’s $53 Billion insurance fund just on the IndyMac failure. How long before they are maxed out and the Government is left with the job of bailing out the FDIC itself? It's interesting to note that some insiders are saying IndyMac was either not on the watch list or only added just late month, too late to help, so how indepth or accurate is this "watch list" ? I doubt FDIC has had enough staff or time to check a fraction of the banks so expect the endangered list to grow significantly, and more banks not listed to fail.

While I admit that most troubled banks will be considerably smaller than IndyMac, after seeing Wachovia ( $ 8.9 Billion) and WaMu ( $ 3.3Billion) post such huge losses this weak I have proof that the crisis is not over and that it is not just the little guys who are in danger of collapse. A mess of small banks and one or two more IndyMac size and the FDIC will be out of funds, and guess who will bail them out?

THE BIG BAIL

It looks like the legislation to authorize the Treasury Department's right to bail out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a done deal. While they both claim they don't need a cash infusion I suspect that once the discount window is opened to them they will both be there in line, money bags open. The new legislation also raises the max mortgage size these crippled twins can purchase to 625k or median price +15%. This will allow the banks to pass off more of their bad loans to Fannie and Freddie while putting the feds on the hook for bad mortgages rather than the stupid ass banks that sold them. This could be nothing but will more likely lead to the U.S. picking up most of the bill for the housing collapse while the banks get off easy. However tjhis goes we can be guaranteed that it will cost the public more than the nothing the two lenders claim they need.


SEC to the rescue!!!


I think the biggest joke is the new proposals to stop short selling against the financials! Why should we protect the financials who have been so involved in the destruction of other equities through their manipulations such as the naked short. If the SEC is to curtail short selling it has to be done industry wide or not at all. No one sector should have a mechanism to make money and destroy others unless they too face the same risk. This is just a poorly hidden way to remove the value from your commodity stocks and transfer that wealth to the frauds, cheats and idiots that run rampant in the financial sector. Screw them all and let the banks fail, the sooner we get this collapse over with the sooner we can get on with rebuilding a new monetary system hopefully built on real money.


On the Canadian front,


BoC held interest rates rather than cutting – Good

The U.S. collapse is going to cost us jobs regardless, there is no point devaluing to keep customers who might never pay you. A higher CND will allow us to miss some of the coming wave of inflation and maintain the value of our savings better, I think it is worth losing jobs that peak oil would kill anyway , to keep our currency strong !


0% down mortgages and 40 terms are no longer allowed – Good

Too damn late but at least the next wave of idiots won’t have the option of 0% down and a 40 year term. We have been lucky that this kind of mortgage has not penetrated that deep inot our market and now thankfully people can only be 5% down 35 years stupid .

I still think 35 years is too long ; people graduate, get a job and buy a house usually by late 20s putting them just years from retirement when a 35 year mortgage is paid, that and the years of extra interest will mean less retirement savings.



Job losses in manufacturing, especially automotive are rising weakly- bad/good

bad for the economy but good for the environment and long term oil supplies as people are actually driving less -3% so far, and sales of the biggest, thirstiest vehicles are falling like buffalo chased of a cliff. For those people who actually need a large truck for business there are some amazing deals as the resale on these energy hogs plummets.


PMs

The metals are heading down again on bogus strong dollar talk from the U.S. and I’d be buying if I had not just purchased a car recently, Buy if you can.

I’m extremely annoyed and there is absolutely no excuse for what is happening to some of the junior miners, its nothing but deliberate manipulation, sabotage or institutional desperation to raise cash , take Silver Corp (SVM-T) for example; healthy, expanding, profitable, low cost and it has lost over 55% of its value of late without a single bit of bad news to justify it. This is all taken place during an aggressive stock buyback which apparently is having no effect on the price. Today for example every few minutes anonymous sells 500 shares maintaining or lowering the price, sure silver is slipping but zinc is steady and lead is up recently so how the hell can this profitable unhedged company that produces silver at a negative price, lose 8% today.


Golden Tag (GOG-t) is down 10% today! , while still a speculation play they’ve earned the right to 50% of the ECU San Diego mine which is a proven 42 million ounces of silver and growing, Market cap today $11 million. See Bob Moriarty's write up on GOG
This share price does do justice to their 21 million ounce stake in the San Diego mine and especially not on the recent news from the Aquilon project where they hit 376 ounces/ton of gold on a very narrow surface vein. While this might never be a full sized mine if there is any decent length or dept to this vein a small artisan style mine would make a nice profit for them, hell they could buy back 1/3 of their stock with a 10 ton “bulk sample” WTF????
And why are they not doing this???


The stories go on and on and it makes no sense the prices for many of these juniors are lower than they were with $600 gold/ $12 silver (mind you some are crap and deserve a low share price but not many I follow don't deserve this fate). Is someone trying to destroy their viability and their ability to raise capital so the big boys can snap them up for pennies on the dollar? I don’t know what’s going on but this silliness makes you waver between selling the house and taking a 5 % stake in a company like GOG or selling all equities and running from the market. If I won the lottery tonight I’d make a bid for controlling stake tomorrow because deep down I know that fiat money is dying and real hard assests are the only choice, but man it's hard when you see the corruption and manipulaiton and you know your being screwed.

On the topic of manipulation Jim Sinclair apparently has about 60 juniors looking at the Chamber of Mines idea and hopefully we will get some action on outing the short sellers.

Well my paw is sore again so this is all the rant you’ll get from me today, I know I missed stuff but what can you do, I'll be back when I can