Features
Estate bullion sale case: a fictional workflow
A fictional estate bullion sale case follows inventory, authority review, valuation, beneficiary distribution, dealer bids, auction, and final reconciliation.
Contributor
Ethan C. Bennett
Ethan C. Bennett is the editorial byline assigned to this area. Background, definitions and the interpretation of available information belong to this editorial remit. Subject: Precious Metals and Physical Assets: blog, bullion. A general description is a starting point, not a substitute for the particulars. This is an editorial pen name used by the publication, not a claim of an independently verified personal identity.
Rules
Cost-basis, inheritance, payment, and shipment problems
Bullion sale problems guide for missing basis, gifts, inherited holdings, unclear authority, mixed lots, false payments, shipment loss, and record repair.
Maintenance
Bullion sale checklist for records and transfers
Bullion sale checklist for organizing ownership, inventory, basis records, bids, payment, reporting review, custody, and estate transfers.
Guides
Buying and Storing Physical Silver in New Mexico: Costs, Taxes and Rules
What physical silver costs in New Mexico, from dealer premiums and gross receipts tax to storage options, plus the federal collectibles tax rate, IRS reporting and FTC rules on purity claims.
Guides
Selling Physical Precious Metals: Records and Handoffs
Selling physical precious metals means confirming authority, reconciling each lot, comparing net offers, controlling the handoff, and preserving records.
Rules
Bullion authentication problems: evidence and uncertainty
Bullion authentication problems: copied serials, tampered holders, conflicting tests, altered surfaces, and inconclusive results.
Maintenance
Suspect Bullion Checklist for Quarantine and Evidence
Suspect bullion checklist for isolating an item, preserving packaging and transaction records, documenting discrepancies, and choosing a review path.
Reviews
Bullion test methods compared: a qualitative overview
Bullion test methods compared as a qualitative overview of what each measures, their practical limits, and why results should be combined.
Rules
Lost records, water damage, theft, and bullion access problems
Bullion storage problems guide for missing records, water exposure, suspected theft, lockouts, custodian interruption, insurance evidence, and controlled recovery.
Maintenance
Bullion storage, insurance, and access checklist
Bullion storage checklist covering ownership, custody, physical controls, policy wording, inventory proof, digital privacy, emergency access, and annual review.
Guides
Precious Metals Storage Guide to Custody and Records
This precious metals storage guide covers custody, access, bullion inventories, insurance questions, environmental protection, and recurring record reviews.
Rules
Delayed delivery, substituted bullion, and refund problems
Bullion delivery and refund problems explained through shipment promises, delay notices, unauthorized substitutions, carrier coverage, evidence, and escalation.
Reviews
Bullion sales channels compared: evidence and risk
Bullion sales channels compared: what local dealers, online dealers, auctions, and private sales each demand in records, and where disputes are handled.
Features
Comparing three silver bullion quotes: a worked case
Silver quote case comparing three fictional dealers through product identity, quantity tier, payment, shipping, delivered premium, buyback, net exit, and records.
Rules
Bullion pricing problems: stale spot feeds, hidden fees and misleading discounts
Bullion pricing problems, from stale spot feeds to hidden fees and misleading discounts, and the comparison basis that exposes each one before you pay.
Maintenance
Bullion quote and invoice checklist: fields to verify before paying
A pre-payment bullion checklist of quote and invoice fields to confirm, recalculate, and save, plus receipt checks and substitution, buyback, and dispute notes.
Reviews
Fixed premiums, percentage premiums, and dealer spreads compared
Fixed premiums, percentage premiums, and dealer spreads compared through formulas, changing spot prices, product size, fees, bids, break-even effects, and use cases.
Rules
GST HST Gold Bullion Exempt? Canada's Zero-Rating Rules
GST HST gold bullion exempt? In Canada, qualifying investment metal is zero-rated, not exempt, for GST/HST; provincial sales taxes may still apply.
Rules
Gold in a self-directed IRA: rules, prohibited transactions, and records
This guide explains self-directed IRA gold rules: approved custodians, depositories, prohibited transactions, records, and compliance penalties.
Rules
RRSP Eligible Gold and Silver: Which Bullion Products Qualify and How to Hold Them
RRSP eligible gold and silver rules turn on CRA purity and custody tests. Products must be Maple Leafs or LBMA bars, storage must sit with a Canadian plan custodian.
Guides
Canada Safety Deposit Box Bullion: Size and Access Limits
Canada safety deposit box bullion: box size limits, branch access rules, why bank terms and CDIC never insure contents, and when to move gold out.
Features
Florida bullion scams: telemarketing, fake storage, and IRA rollover warning signs
Florida bullion scams hit retirees hardest: telemarketing, fake storage schemes, and IRA rollover tricks, with warning signs and where to report fraud.
Guides
Buying bullion in Alaska, no sales tax but shipping and logistics hurdles
Buying bullion in Alaska avoids state sales tax, but local taxes, carrier limits and freight to Anchorage or Fairbanks decide your real cost.
Guides
How to calculate an all-in bullion price and break-even level
Calculating an all-in bullion price means adding premiums, storage fees, and assay costs, then finding the resale price that returns your money.
Rules
What does the CFTC do about gold and silver futures fraud?
CFTC bullion futures oversight covers COMEX gold and silver contracts, not retail spot metal, and pays whistleblowers who report precious metals futures fraud.
Reviews
How to evaluate bullion dealers in New York City, licenses, complaints and COMEX ties
To evaluate bullion dealers New York City buyers should check COMEX membership, BBB complaints, New York attorney general records and FINRA registration.
Features
How New York, Texas and California attorneys general pursue bullion fraud
State attorneys general bullion fraud cases in New York, Texas and California: the penalties, restitution figures and complaint steps buyers can use.
Reviews
Selling bullion in Salt Lake City and Denver: offers, tax and IRS reporting
Selling bullion in Salt Lake City or Denver: compare written offers, ask about assay and payment timing, see how Utah and Colorado treat sales tax, and keep records for IRS reporting.
Rules
US and Canada bullion purchases: CBP declaration, GST/HST purity, and USMCA basics
What US and Canadian border rules mean for bullion: CBP declaration and exemptions, GST/HST purity thresholds, USMCA tariff treatment, and shipping records.
Features
Palladium liquidity case: a fictional coin, bar and exits
A fictional palladium liquidity case: one coin and one bar, local and mail-in exits compared net, futures terms read correctly, position kept small.
Features
Building and selling a small silver position case
Silver bullion case tracing a fictional 60-ounce position through product choice, delivered premiums, inventory, storage, staged bids, sale costs, and records.
Guides
Jewelry and watch buying starts with a guide to checking construction
Jewelry and watches judged on evidence: reading the metal marks, stones without a ring, the watch as a machine, and construction you can check in a minute.
Rules
Silver toning, milk spots, weight, and packaging problems
Silver bullion problems come from tarnish, milk spots, wrong counts, and heavy storage. Each has a check that settles it before you clean or sell.
Guides
Bullion formats guide: Coins, rounds and bars
Bullion formats guide to sovereign coins, private rounds, minted bars and cast bars, explaining weight, fineness, markings, and product specifications.
Reviews
Gold coins, bars, wafers, and divisible products compared
Gold coins, bars, wafers, and divisible products compared by fine content, premium, recognition, packaging, storage, inspection, and resale flexibility.
Maintenance
Mint, Refiner and Hallmark Checklist: Reading Bullion Marks
A checklist for reading a bullion item's mint, refiner, hallmark, and serial marks, and for what list and accreditation claims do and do not prove.
Guides
Physical precious metals guide: ownership, costs, risks, and records
Physical precious metals guide covering bullion forms, dealer pricing, premiums, custody, insurance, liquidity, fraud, taxes, and recordkeeping requirements.
Guides
Silver bullion guide: coins, rounds, bars, and care
Silver bullion guide covering common coins, rounds, and bars, plus storage, tarnish, inventory records, and resale planning for physical silver.
Reviews
Silver coins, rounds, bars, junk silver: pick by sale plan
Choose between silver coins, rounds, bars and junk silver by how you plan to sell: a 100-ounce worksheet, buyer questions and condition checks.
Reviews
Bullion formats compared: sovereign coins, private rounds, cast and minted bars
Sovereign coins, private rounds, cast bars, and minted bars compared by legal status, manufacture, marks, packaging, premium, inspection, divisibility, and resale.