I bought silver bullion when I was a kid in high school. I tried to open a futures account but I put my real age on the application and they denied me, thank god.
But I bought a couple hundred ounces of silver bullion from the precious metals dealer and just stuck it in my closet for a year or two, waiting for the price to rise (it was at a super-low level in 1990/1991 or so). When the price rose a decent amount, I went back to the dealer and cashed in. Between the premium above spot they charge when they sell it to you and the discount below spot they offer when they buy it from you, I didn't make a cent. Or it was a very neglible amount, like $10 or $20.
Not having leverage sucks.