Later in the week, a shortage of another kind presented itself: Physical silver -- the metal itself -- was reportedly becoming hard to find. By midweek, online precious-metal discussion groups were plastered with reports of neighborhood coin shops that had little or no supply of silver bullion. Reports soon followed that regional and national bullion distributors themselves had run dry. Citing overwhelming demand, the American Precious Metals Exchange has frozen its online ordering platform, while other major bullion dealers are reporting no stock, or delivery delays.

An apparent disconnect has emerged between the spot price for silver and its physical availability within the marketplace.
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There are unusual patterns that strongly suggest that the silver shortage may be at hand. The inability of the US Mint to keep up the sudden and persistent demand for Silver Eagles are two important and visible clues. Currently, there are many reports of widespread tightness in many wholesale and retail silver outfits. http://news.silverseek.com/TedButler/120...