Silver just hit a crazy high, and the US retail market went absolutely wild. We're talking record-breaking volumes on coin purchases and sales—dealers are literally swamped. The surge pushed premiums and fees through the roof, with processing backlogs piling up fast. This feels like 2021 all over again when Reddit-fueled retail mania dominated headlines.

What's driving it? Investors are clearly spooked. They're rotating hard into tangible assets—physical stuff you can hold. It's not just about silver's price action anymore; it's about the broader shift toward hard assets as a hedge. Premiums are climbing, dealers can't keep up with orders, and the whole system's creaking under the demand.

The parallel to 2021 is striking. Back then it was meme stocks and crypto chaos. Now? It's precious metals seeing that same retail energy, that same "let's move into something real" mentality. Whether this sustains or fizzles depends on what happens next with macro conditions and risk sentiment.