<h1>Background</h1>
Two days ago I [posted here](https://steemit.com/steemsilvergold/@nolnocluap/update-on-my-decision-3-months-ago-to-draw-down-on-my-savings-when-australian-main-stream-media-starts-talking-about-recessions) a self assessment of my ongoing preparedness for a breakdown in global financial stability. I'd been motivated to do a self assessment based on my frustration with the financial progress I'd been making in recent times which I wrote about [here](https://steemit.com/investing/@nolnocluap/the-more-prudent-the-further-behind-does-modern-investment-mean-going-backwards). My conclusion was that I'd dropped the ball in recent months and had suffered from normalcy bias. Anyone suffering from something similar incidentally who wants a wake up slap in the face would be well served by watching the Dr. Dave Janda interview on Greg Hunter's USA Watchdog found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd2T8OHnxmE).

Anyway, earlier in the week I announced a commitment to re-establishing my efforts towards withdrawal from the banking system and into sound money assets. Today at lunch I took an extra few minutes to make another step in that direction. You see, recently I've been acquiring mostly silver given it's a steal but I don't want to give up on the yellow metal by any means and besides, it's much more efficient to store. 

<h1>Today's step towards financial independence</h1>
I give you then pictures of today's purchases....

![1-oz-goldcoin-PHILHARMONIC.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbV8jLrrR1vXrfWgfQWjiSbGZQ7akJ98R3ewMHumquApB/1-oz-goldcoin-PHILHARMONIC.jpg)
[Image & text credit](www.ainsliebullion.com.au)

<blockquote>
The Austrian Mint’s Gold Philharmonic 1oz gold coin is the globally recognised official gold bullion coin of Austria, and indeed synonymous with Europe as a whole. As legal tender, their weight and purity are guaranteed by the Austrian Government. The one-troy ounce size has a nominal face value of EUR100 and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of 99.99% pure gold (= 24 carat).

The gold coin depicts a harmonious assortment of musical instruments, including a string bass, cellos, violins, a bassoon, a harp and a Viennese horn, on its reverse. The obverse of the coin shows the great organ of the Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, the orchestra’s home.
</blockquote>

![1-oz-goldcoin-BUFFALO.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNysBjXPEJJ2QP5SEGjG7p93EidzKY93574VSQTGPkFm1/1-oz-goldcoin-BUFFALO.jpg)
[Image & text credit](www.ainsliebullion.com.au)

<blockquote>
The American Buffalo is an official gold bullion coin of the United States. As legal tender, their weight and purity are guaranteed by the United States Government. It was first released by the United States Mint on December 22, 2005. It is struck only in the one-troy ounce size, which has a nominal face value of $50 and is guaranteed to contain one troy ounce of 99.99% pure gold (= 24 carat).

The American Buffalo Gold Coin's obverse and reverse designs feature images by noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser for America's five-cent coin. That popular coin, known as the "Indian Head," or "Buffalo Nickel," was introduced in 1913 and showcases the native beauty of the American West.
</blockquote>

<h1>Reasons for these purchases</h1>
Well this is a topic all to itself. There are a few considerations here. 

<h3>Divisibility</h3> 
The smaller the items purchased, the easier it is to sell fractions of holdings as appropriate to the circumstances.

<h3>Price</h3> 
This conflicts with the above point. The larger the item, the better the economy of scale. Best to aim for a mixture of the two. Some small pieces for liquidation and some bigger pieces as a core position. 1 Oz is a nice sweet spot.

<h3>Brand</h3> 
This is a big one for me. I may know the various mints or refiners but others maybe not so much. I like to buy easily identifiable pieces for the best market if I should ever want to sell. These coins are well recognised. 

<h3>Legal tender</h3>
This never used to bother me but I like it now. Very much. Not only is it an extra mechanism by which the piece provides value (it can legally be spent into circulation - practical difficulties born of the general ignorance of the public aside) in addition to the value derived from the metal itself. Additionally, it's a way to lessen the value of the piece when transporting. People have legally been able to not declare gold coins on customs declarations as they are able to quote face value rather than metal value. A significant understatement which can be enough to scrape under the typical USD10k declaration threshold.

<h3>FUN!</h3> 
This way my may motivator today. One gets a little bored when accumulating the same types of pieces all the time so today I purchased these two at a premium simply to add an element of excitement to my purchase.

<h1>Where I'm going to store them</h1>
To be blunt, I'm not telling! I will provide some general information however on what I recommend

<h3>In your personal grasp</h3>
There's a lot of wisdom in the saying _"if you don't hold it you don't own it"_ so I'd recommend keeping some precious metals in a hidden location that is accessible to you independently. By that I mean that you don't have to rely on anyone else for transport or access. This may be in or around your home (consider the issues of theft, fire and flood when selecting locations) which could be buried or located on a secondary property that you own. Diversify your hiding locations and don't forget where all your safe spots are. 

<h3>Private vaulting</h3> 
Private. Did I say <i>private</i>? Don't leave it in a bank safety deposit box. You may just as well leave it on a bus. A bank isn't going to open a vault for you to let you at your valuables during a banking crisis.

<h3>Bullion dealer storage</h3> 
Some dealers take care of vaulting for you. I'd develop a relationship with the dealer before doing this. This may mean making a number of smaller purchases over some period of time first. Make sure the account is allocated and segregated.

<h3>International storage</h3> 
Do what you'd do in your home country, but abroad. This mitigates some risks associated with domestic disturbance and local political issues at the cost of introducing others. The diversification factor is the motivation here.

<h1>Conclusion</h1>
There are many advantages to stacking. It's a fun hobby to collect beautiful and valuable pieces all while investing in arguably the only real persistent and stable value known throughout history. Posting about your acquisitions here can keep you accountable to yourself to maintain a steady dollar cost averaging program. There's usually enough in the way of gold and silver options to suit any budget which means it's not just a "rich man's game". This post just scratches the surface. There's heaps of valuable content under #steemsilvergold both here and on Discordia which I encourage people to dig into.

What's your next purchase going to be?

Happy stacking!
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