purchasing from ebay, page-3

Because they are minted, silver coins are infinitely harder to forge than bars. Therefore for an investor starting out, silver coins are the safest investment. The same attractions may apply to any silver coins;

1. They are easy to buy and sell on eBay (highly liquid), classifieds or privately
2. If you buy at the right time and quantity on eBay you pay almost no premium
3. If you find a seller with large holdings once you establish a relationship you can bypass eBay and he may give you a discount since he isnt paying fees
4. Like most other silver coins they are extremely hard to replicate compared to bars and forgeries are unheard of

The trick is when buying is to find the sale with the lowest premium. Spend time shopping around. Have a look at the buy/sell spread on the large dealers websites. There is a massive 10% difference between what they will pay for silver and what they sell it for. For a successful transaction you need to find the seller with the lowest premiums. I have found a private supplier who charges only 1-2% and has a very large holding so I can go to him any time i want and buy. Above all avoid buying/selling to bullion dealers and large corporations as they have a very high buy/sell spread.

It is still a fact that 'junk silver' offers the best value for the purchaser;
In Australia all silver coins issued before 1937 are 92.5% silver. 1938 onwards are only 50% silver EXCEPT for the 1966 Australian round silver 50c piece which is 80% silver. For this reason the round silver 50's provides great exposure to silver prices without attracting large premiums. Three make up almost exactly 1oz of pure silver. My personal fav.

It is true that the average person has little knowlege what real silver looks like and feels. After you get to 'know' the look and feel of silver coins you will become more confident about your ability to spot a non-silver bar.