My local dealer just ran out of silver - supply crunch coming?

29 January 2026

Popped into my regular coin shop in Birmingham today and they had literally no silver in stock. First time I've ever seen that in 8 years of buying from them. The owner said his wholesaler is struggling to get anything at reasonable premiums. Royal Mint apparently has 6-8 week delays on Britannias now. Is anyone else seeing this? Starting to wonder if we're about to see a proper squeeze like 2020/2021 again.

Discussion

Same story in Leeds! My usual dealer has been struggling for months. Even the Royal Mint has massive delays. The disconnect between paper and physical is getting wider.
This is why I stack when I can, not when the price is "right". In a supply crunch it doesn't matter what the price is if you can't actually buy any!
Try European Mint or Atkinsons - they seem to have better stock levels than local coin shops. Though delivery times are still a bit longer than usual.
Honestly, silver woes don't bother me; I'm firmly in the gold sovereign and Britannia camp. Availability for proper gold hasn't been an issue for my stack, so what's all the fuss about silver?