Silver: Keep It Unopened Or Crack It Out And Let It Ring?

[LittleJohnSilver]

What's your views on keeping silver and gold coins/bars sealed in original packaging?

Do you prefer to keep them sealed to preserve condition with a view to increasing their value?

Or are you not fussed as silver is silver and it makes no difference to your end goals?

[FlorinCollector]

I think it just depends on what coin/bar you have in mind mate. 

With bars if it comes in an assay card I will leave it but if its just in a plastic cover ill remove it. 

With silver if its just bullion it doesn't matter to me. 

Bullion sovs I still put in capsules but a lot of people don't. 

[Lowlow]

For silver rounds I don't care as long as you can read "1 troy ounce silver" on them somewhere.  I suppose I prefer silver with a little bit of tarnish on it, but I don't hold it against silver it if it is shiny either.

[Martlet]

For those coins that come in the blister packs (i.e. Rwandan), i've taken one out of pack and into a capsule that i can hold, look at.  Those blisters are textured so alter the appearance.  Rest remain in pack for someone in the future to make that decision.  I don't think i'd buy a bar in packaging or a coin in fancy presentation card.

[MickB]

I've got three tubes of 1/4 oz Armenian Noah's ark coins and opened one to find the first few tarnished. They're supposed to have some sort of gas put into them to keep the coins from tarnishing when sealed at the mint.

[StackerNoob]

Coins and proof finish bars, sealed where possible, or at least in capsules. Poured or cast bars, let em breathe!

[Lowlow]

I'll say this, when you sell silver bullion rounds, nobody cares what it looks like.  They aren't going to give you a 0.01$us/oz more for them being "pretty", even if they are sealed in individual containers.  You MAY be able to get a premium for an Englehard, but even that is unlikely at a dealer, and I routinely see dealers selling Englehards at the same price as Christmas rounds, etc, because they just don't care what is stamped on the round or what it looks like.  As a buyer, I also don't care, for the most part, though I will pick out Englehard or an "official mint" style rounds over a Christmas or other gimmicky looking round because I personally prefer them (i.e. not because I think they have better resale value).  Silver bullion is basically about how much the silver weighs with a small premium for having them stamped with an image that includes weights and purity.

[SaltyCoinMan]

If it is a proof finish silver round i would recommend keeping the coin or bar sealed up, if you are buying to invest than you might as well.