Which silver coins would be most popular among investors of this forum, if they were offered for resale in Thailand? American eagles, Canadian maples, Austrian philarmonics, Aussie koala's, Mexican Libertads?

I am helping a friend in Chiang Mai to purchase some. No point getting a stash to CM if she cannot liquidate it when she needs to. Appreciate your feedback, thanks.

A bit of advise, be very careful, there are scores of Silver Coins in Thailand and they are fakes,(ie. they are real silver, but counterfeit coins) As their value is only the price of the Silver.

I invested in some U.S. Silver Dollars and they were all Chinese Counterfeits. I found out a little late that the weight was about 1/2 that of a real Silver Dollar.

Edited July 5, 201115 yr by cougar52

Silver coins are not really liquid in Thailand. If you ever want to sell off, you would most likely have to export them first. I believe there is an import tax as well. May not be worth the trouble.

Thanks cougar and Steve.

to cougar: I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I get my bullion from reputable dealers. e.g. my credit suisse bars have certificates + assay numbers.

I would recommend avoiding coins altogether. They carry a large premium, and the only guaranteed sales channels for silver in Thailand is the scrap refiners, who will give you less than spot and don't give a monkey about the premium you paid.

Silver shot is probably the most fungible silver available in Thailand. It is extremely easy to fire assay as well. There are not enough expats to ever give you a really liquid market for any silver form, and coins just aren't part of the Thai culture. Silver coins in Thailand is an example of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. And yes, all silver including coins with a face value are subject to 7% VAT on their bullion value.

By the time you overcome the premium and the VAT on silver, it is questionable whether it really represents a better value than simply buying and holding gold, which is very fungible everywhere throughout the country. If you want silver, best you stay in North America where it represents real value.

Thanks Greg for the comprehensive response.