Why do people buy coins? Wouldn’t ingots make more sense?
Ingots are cheaper per ounce, but coins are more disposable.
And in a SHTF situation, it is going to be hard to find change for a hundred ounce ingot when you are trading for a loaf of bread.
Because the Chinese are faking bullion like 1 ounce bars while pre-64 silver US coins are not faked (except rare ones like proofs). So if you have a mercury dime you can easily determine its value, with a bullion coin or bar you really need to get an assay to be sure.