Probably the same reason gas is down..whatever that is...maybe just the powers that be, jerking things around before the Fall elections...don't worry, it'll all be back up before long...as for buying ingots, you've got to buy a LOT of silver to make any real money from appreciation, but I've got a few I bought on eBay, and coin shops might also be a source...I've never had any problems with buying coins or bullion on eBay, but if you've not familiar with eBay trading and decide to go that route, be very CAREFUL about who you deal with ...HH Roadrunner_426