With regard to number of shares outstanding, they are dillutive even in boom times but will not matter much, big profits will be made.
As far as patience, I started buying PMs during the tech bubble because it became evident at the end that it was a bubble. One thing that I have a hard time getting used to is that the timing that I expect, most of the time happens much later. That is where my patience is taxed, the subject is not whether but when.

Golongold, you must be in the States. I am in southern Ontario and am not concerned with owning physical. Have inquired about buying gold bars and coins about ten years ago but never put the money down. However with what I hear and the past history of US, physical ownership at least in part of the total assets should be a serious consideration and not stored in a sefety deposit box at an institution but in some very private fashion.