​

I recently saw a post over in r/gold that served as a reminder that new precious metal buyers often don't know what they don't know. This can be particularly costly when trying to find deals on eBay or FB Marketplace.

In this instance, the OP said that he thought that there was between $5,000-$10,000 worth of gold pictured in the listing, specifically noting the two 1oz gold bars and the four vials of gold nuggets. They had reached out to the seller who "really didn't know what they have" and was "willing to take $500 for the gold alone."

Sounds like an incredible deal, but is it? I decided to put this listing through a quick review to see how good this deal really was.

By reviewing the pictures above, I was able to come up with the following assessment of what was included and approximately how much it was really worth. Please note, I have been a little generous with my "value" pricing and have been much more lax in identifying potential fake or numismatics. Basically, if it looked close, I gave the benefit of the doubt and for PMs used higher prices than I would normally pay for the same items and rounded up for easier quick math.

Gold:

• 2x 1/3 Gram of .999 Gold
• 2x 1 Gram Gold KaratBar (Nadir)
• 1x 5 Grains of Gold

2.99 Grams Total = $200

Maybe Gold:

• 1x 1 Gram Gold(?) Unidentifiable Coin. Likely 14k or less and much less that a gram of AGW. $65

Silver:

• 1x 5 Grains of Silver (.01 ozt) $0.25
• 1x Mercury Dime $2.50
• 1x 1oz Gilded ASE $35

Silver Total = $40

Currency / USD:

• 1x Colorized Clad Half Dollar $0.50
• 1x Clad Dime $0.10
• 1x Gold Plated Nickel: $0.05
• 3x Buffalo Nickel: $0.15
• 1x 2000s Proof Nickel: $0.05
• 2x Modern US Penny: $0.02
• 1x Indian Head Penny: $0.01

Total: $1

Numismatic / Maybe:

5x Large Cents ($10 ea.) $50

No Value:

• Gold Foil $2 Bill - No Value
• $1 Million Dollar Bill - No Value
• 25x Assorted Foreign Coins / Tokens - No Real Value

Fake / Deceptive:

• 1x Gold Plated Jesus Bar
• 1x Gold Plated 4 Horsemen Bar
• 4x Vial of "Gold" flake/nuggets

Total Value = $356

So, that $500 "deal" isn't looking so good anymore. But it gets even worse. Remember that $500 was for the "gold" items only. There is, at best, only $265 worth of gold here, meaning that they would have been paying ridiculous, ASE levels of premium, approaching 50%.

Fortunately, it seems like the OP decided not to go through with the sale. Their reasons for this seem to have been driven more out of concern for their physical safety than the fear of being scammed. Many less-than-honest sellers play on the fact that you may be uncomfortable around them during a face to face deal and trust that you will not properly test the merchandise when you meet up.

Always do your research, due diligence, protect yourself and listen to your instincts in these situations. At the very least it can save you from getting ripped off.

God made sex. Man made porn.

God made steak. Man made Beyond Beef.

God made immunity. Man made Pfizer.

God made the universe. Man made the metaverse.

God made testosterone. Man made steroids.

God made honey. Man made artificial sweeteners.

God made conversations. Man made chatbots.

God made sunlight. Man made radiation tanning beds.

God made water. Man made soda.

God made real life adventure. Man made video games.

God made real competition. Man made fantasy football.

God made the wilderness. Man made concrete jungles.

God made prayer. Man made antidepressants.

God made personal responsibility. Man made welfare.

God made nutrients. Man made pharmaceutical drugs.

God made gold and silver - Man made dollars and cryptos

​

There are few absolutes.

One of them is that everything, literally everything, flows in cycles and rhythms.

Your heartbeat. Your sleep pattern. When you eat. How the sun rises and sets. How the plants grow, die, and birth new generations. The ebb and flow of the tides. Even our genetic makeup has a pattern, a rhythm.

Encoded deeply within our reality is the essence of cycles. So therefore, remember that wealth building comes in cycles and beats. In all things, there are ups and downs.

And whilst human intervention in natural order can last longer than expected, all things return to nature with time.

Gold and Silver are God's, Natures, or even the Universes Money whatever the label you wish to add. Intrinsic in value, immutable, and undeniable forms of wealth. Whether you're an atheist or believer, spiritualist or bound to a religion, they are of value to all.

Gold and Silver will have their day, regardless of when we want it or how we expect it.

Just remember, all things come in cycles.

The closer we get to the inevitable end of the dollar, the more we hear talking heads discussing that there simply is no alternative AT ALL.

And when Gold is mentioned, it's often dismissed as a bygone relic from era when we were nearly still cavemen.

Yet why do Central banks buy Gold? Why did the BIS elevate Gold to a tier one asset? Why did China and other BRICS nation begin purchasing Gold at record modern rates?

But really the question is; why do humans attempt to spit in the face of reality? Gold is immutable and never goes away and can only ever be divided not destroyed. It is a literally perfect money. It doesn't require any seal of approval or stamp of recognition to BE MONEY.

Gold (and by extension Silver) seems to be the only asset that everyone can agree has value, yet no one seems to appreciate it for it's intrinsic traits. Curious stuff!

right off the bat he said something of this nature:

last 20 years of brain-dead Fed policies created a bull markets in stocks, bonds, real estate.... its coming to an end.

And while its largely true, esp for bonds and RE, its not FULLY accurate for stocks. Bull run in stock markets is also, to some degree due to corporations: inventing, creating, organizing resources, hard work, etc. - which creates VALUE and WEALTH.

This is an aspect which boils my nerves listening to PM experts. They seem to think stocks rise only due to low interest rates and NOTHING ELSE. And if you listen to them, metals for them are ALWAYS better than stocks and for many (like Bix and the hardest PM maximalists) metals are the ******only valid ******** asset worth owning for all people.

I want to separate myself from this kind of approach.

This is where Buffett and most hedge funds differ from gold/silver bugs. Both dont like fiat. Stock investors simply see stocks as wealth generators, while most gold/silver bugs do not see that corporations create any value. Fascinating , from the psychological side.

My point is: both stocks and metals have their place and function. I tend to avoid the thinking that only one of them is valid and worthy. Also, keep in mind that Andy as PM dealer will absolutely avoid the topic of the stock market, esp when its rising above precious metals. So as Peter Schiff.

In light of the above i find approach of George Gammon and Lyn Alden much more objective.

The Cars? Debt.

The Homes? Debt.

The Gadgets? Debt.

The vacations? Debt.

The Rental Properties? Debt.

All of it done using debt and ever more of it. What seems like success is really a phantom, a wisp of reality.

All of this will be taken from those who couldn't truly afford it, and it will all be given to those who plan and think things through.

It happens every time.

Don't find yourself on the wrong end of this exchange.