Silveric Matter

Coin                           Value     Weight (g)         Composition Silver Dollars Flowing Hair (1794-1795)  Dollar 26.96 89% silver, 10% copper Draped (1795-1804) Dollar 26.96 89% silver, 10% copper Gobrecht (1836-1839) Dollar 26.73 89% silver, 10% copper Seated (1840-1873) Dollar 26.73 90% silver, 10% copper Trade (1873-1885) Dollar 27.22 90% silver, 10% copper Morgan (1878-1904, 1921) Dollar 26.73 90% silver, 10% copper Peace (1921-1928, 1934 & 1935) Dollar 26.73 90% silver, 10% copper Eisenhower (only S mints 1971-1974, 1976) Dollar 24.59 40% silver, 60% copper Silver Half Dollars  Flowing (1794-1795)Half Dollar 13.48 89% silver, 10% copper Draped (1796, 1797, 1801-1803, 1805-1807)Half Dollar 13.48 89% silver, 10% copper Capped (1807-1815, 1817-1836) Half Dollar 13.48 89...

A Extremely Rare Greek Silver  Stater of Thebes (Boeotia), a Stunning Depiction of Dionysos (photo by Ancient Art*)  Silver coins have been used since 700 BC. Minting silver coins was generally accomplished by using an anvil die technique.  By the mid-6th century it appears that smelting had advanced far enough to simplify the production of pure silver and gold.  Ancient Greek King Croesus introduced a bi-metallic standard allowing pure silver and gold coins to be struck and used in the marketplace.  The smelting of silver from lead has been evident as early as the 4th millennium BC as evident from slag heaps found in Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea.  There were also major silver mines in Laurium and the elaborate washing tables and cisterns for gathering winter rain water are still there. Since native silver is rare, it has to be separated from lead or copper ore and/or other silver compounds.  The method most likely used would be to heat the washed min...

Greek Silver Tetradrachm of Amphipolis (photo by AncientArt*) Ancient Greek “Father of History” Herodotus (484–425 BC) wrote that the Lydians were the first to use gold and silver coins and establish permanent retail shops.  Lydia was an ancient Empire in modern day Turkey.  Lydian coins made of electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver, have been found which date back as far as 700 BC.  The dates of silver coins of antiquity are of some debate.  Aristotle (384–322 BC), teacher of Alexander the Great, wrote that the first coins were struck by Demodike who married King Midas.  Yes the one with “the golden touch” of various stories.  There are various modern opinions of these dates. Regardless, the oldest coin found in the Ancient Old World is of electrum from Lydia with an obverse depicting a lion’s head and sunburst.  Lydian King Alyattes, of the 7th and 6th Centuries BC, standardized the weight of coins, 1 Starter = 168 grains of wheat about 4.7 gr...

 This article is about cleaning silver coins... DO NOT CLEAN SILVER COINS!!! Eating and/or drinking over or around silver coins is not recommended.  Even talking over your unprotected silver coins can result in tiny spittle (saliva) to fall on them and cause corrosion.  You don’t have to worry about cleaning your silver coins if you keep them from harm's way.  The best way of handling your silver coins is by their edge with white cotton gloves over a soft white cotton towel. Silver is relatively soft and any abrasive on its surface will show when closely scrutinized.  Proof silver coins, Mint State, and Almost Uncirculated will be affected negatively by any sort of cleaning!  Typically by at least 50% of their market value! Often silver coins in these grades will experience a greater loss than that. Tarnishing on silver coins is expected by almost all collectors.  The silver content reacts to the trace amount of sulfur ever present in the air and disco...

 You will want to keep your silver coins where the temperature is steady and the humidity is low. Moisture and large temperature shifts can cause tarnishing and spotting of your silver coins. In general it is not appropriate to clean collectible silver coins. If you are collecting silver coin proof sets and/or silver commemorative coins they should be kept in their original packaging whether these are cases or capsules. Also any and all Certificates of Authenticity or any other information cards that come with you silver coins should be kept. These are very helpful if you find that you want to sell your collectible silver coins. Storing and caring for your silver coins is important. Barring the remote chance of government confiscation, a bank safe-deposit box is the safest way to keep your silver coins from theft. If you keep them at home, make sure that your home insurance will cover the full replacement value of your silver coins. Silver coins oxidize and you should protect them ...

 When collecting and investing in numismatic silver coins understanding condition grades is as important as knowing the year and place the coin was struck. The following general information about numismatic grading is applicable to NGC grading, PCGS grading, and ANACS grading. Elizabeth II The current generally used grading system is an outgrowth of the demands of the market place.  A hundred years ago coins were considered to fall into three states of condition: “Good” (well used), “Fine” (used), and “Very Fine” (hardly used).  However with the increase in collectors, auctions, and prices a better way of describing the condition was needed.  Especially with the ever widening price difference between the “Very Fine” condition silver coins and “Fine”.   This also caused the “Very Fine” grade to be considered too simplistic and incapable of describing a coin with no ware, very little ware - and then those with a bit more.  A standard of grading and an in...

There are a number of places to buy silver coins online, whether you are shopping for numismatics or simply buying silver coins as an investment in silver. “E-bay” is probably the best known Internet auction site and they also have silver coins that you can buy at a set price, in their “Buy Now” section.  “Amazon” also has a wide variety of coins available on behalf of other sellers.  They both have various safety precautions that will protect you from unscrupulous sellers.  Not only do they have an arbitration process, but if you paid for the item(s) through “PayPal” then you have another resource for arbitration.  They both have consumer grading systems where buyers rate the sellers' services.  Craigslist can be very sketchy.  I have seen enough misrepresentation and excessive over pricing of coins there that I would recommend only buying if you can actually see the coins in person and buy them on the spot.  The Internet does have immediacy and large...

When deciding on what silver coins to get there are a number of different factors to look into.  The first is whether you are looking at a silver investment (meaning to collect silver coins as an investment in a precious metal) or if you are interested in the historical connection collectible coins have - which is to look at them for their numismatic value.  Both are valid perspectives and both have potential for profit.  Looking at the investment of coins for their value as an accumulation of precious metal there are basically three categories to consider: “junk” silver coins, pure (99.9% to 99.99%) silver coins, and pure (99.9% to 99.99%) silver rounds.  “Junk” silver coins are not junk, but are silver coins whose silver content make them more valuable than their numismatic value.  When it comes to silver coins from the United States’ Mint those minted before 1964 will typically be 90% silver in content, some of those minted between 1965 and 1970 are 40% silve...

Rare earth magnets  There are a number of different ways to check whether a bar or coin is silver. A simple test is to use a strong magnet which is frequently referred to as 'Rare Earth Magnets'. Since silver is not magnetic if you bring the magnet to the metal and the magnet ‘pulls’ towards the metal it is not silver. Silver also has a 'diamagnetic' property that you can test for. This property can be demonstrated by holding the bar or coin at a forty-five degree angle with a table and 'dropping' the magnet from a short distance onto the coin or bar. If the magnet slides down slowly (with resistance) as opposed to quickly it's probably silver. Silver also has an audible harmonic residence so when tapped while being held loosely a ‘ping’ will ring out as a posed to a dull thud. Silver test kit As with gold there are silver test kits which have a dropper of acid and sometimes a test stone. Unlike gold, which has a few different test solutions, silver will onl...

2010 1oz Silver Eagle  One way of getting around the tax phenomenon for United States citizens is by adding silver to their IRA, 401K, or 403B retirement investments. In 1997, when precious metals were first allowed to be included in these retirement plans silver investments were restricted to the American Silver Eagle. However this restriction has been relaxed. Silver bars or non-collectable (non-graded) silver coins having a fineness of 99.9% or higher can be used. This allows a large variety of silver rounds as well as silver bullion coins that are currently being minted by national mints around the world to be added to these retirement accounts. One thing to be aware about buying silver bars and rounds from sources outside of your own country is that these are typically taxable while bullion coins are often exempt. There are a number of steps that needed to be followed in order to take advantage of adding silver to your IRA, 401K, or 403B. The first is to find out whether or no...

 The only silver dollars produced in the 1970s were Proof Coins minted by the US MINT or Silver Rounds made by private firms. US Morgan and Peace Dollars were minted from 1878 – 1935.  The Ike silver dollars that are silver clad usually have a “S” mint mark (see the new Ike Silver dollar article for more information), so they don’t have as much silver as older silver coins. They are 40% silver by weight and weigh 24.59 grams which is 0.7907 troy ounces. That means it has 0.3163 troy ounces of silver, just multiply the going rate for silver by that and that number will be a good starting place. Dealers do take a percentage off to cover there expenses,

If you are thinking of collecting, investing, or want to buy silver coins online, there are three different categories to consider: 1) Numismatic silver coins are 'rare' silver coins that collectors deem, for various reasons, to be worth more than their silver content. Over time, these can be the best coins to invest in. 2) Junk Silver refer to silver coins minted for currency whose silver content make them more valuable than their 'numismatic' value. 3) Bullion or Rounds are fine (99.9% or.999 to 99.99% or .9999) silver and look like coins. But, since they are not issued as currency, they are not technically "coins". As far as investing in silver as a precious metal these are the best coins to invest in. Numismatic Silver Coins  Numismatic coins have a long history. Caesar Augustus was known to have given various old and foreign coins as gifts. Petrarch, a 14th Century Italian scholar would be asked by vine diggers to buy old coins or identify the nobles on...