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Price of Silver

The price of silver is a very good indicator of the health of the economy along with the sentiment of investors. The attitude that people have, when changing their money into some other form, such as a stock or commodity, directly affects silver prices. Silver is a safe haven for value.

This means that it has virtually zero risk of losing value in the long term view. On the other hand, stocks are not a safe haven, because they have the possibility of losing all of their value; stocks are risky to own. In a market where sentiments run high and positive, and people feel that everything is on the up-and-up, the risk of owning stocks is less important than the potential profits those stocks might provide. So, when people are feeling positive and hopeful, they buy high risk items. However, when sentiments are are low and defensive, people are afraid of risky items, and they tend to put their money into safe havens to avoid losing value. In this case, the owning of precious metals like silver is very attractive, because silver cannot lose value, but stocks and bonds can. The real value of silver and thus the silver price, adjusted for inflation, stays fairly constant over the decades and centuries, and that is simply because silver is real money and has value inside itself. This value cannot be lost, and so silver is a very safe form to keep one’s money in. Even the US dollar can, and does, lose value. All these truths, taken into account, are why investors will buy silver when the market is down or there is fear of further drops on the market. And when more people move their money into silver, buying it up as much as possible, the good ol’ law of supply and demand comes into effect. This law pushes the price of silver up when larger numbers of people are in a buying mood for safe havens.

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In order to safely buy silver coins, you need to know WHAT silver coins to buy, WHERE to buy silver coins, and the fair price of silver coins based on the current price of silver. This page will help you make informed decisions about all these factors.

First, you may be asking yourself “Which silver coins should I buy?” or wanting to know what kind of silver is best to buy. This depends on what kind of buying you want to do. Do you want to collect coins for rarity? Or, do you want to own quantities of silver?

If you want to collect rare silver coins, you are a coin collector, and will pay for numismatic value of the coins you purchase.

If you want to own silver for a store of value in precious metal, then you are an investor, and should buy silver as close to “spot price” as possible. Buy silver below spot price if you ever get the chance. And never pay for numismatic “collectible” value, which is a waste of money to those who invest in precious metals.

Knowing the silver coin values is important when investing in silver in the form of coins. Silver dollars, quarters, and dimes can be purchased many places, but if you do your homework and know the silver coin values when going in, your local pawn shop is a place where you can find silver below spot price. Buying under spot price is an excellent way to invest in silver, but it takes some preparation in educating yourself, knowing the melt values of coins, and “doing the legwork” to go find the hidden treasures in your local pawn shop or other dealer location.

We can help you find silver coin dealers in your area.

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Many people wonder about silver quarter values when they come across one, unsure if they have a gold mine in their hands, or just a mildly valuable coin. After all, if a coin collection has one silver coin in it, that coin is likely to be a silver quarter.

One thing to keep in mind is that most silver quarters that one comes in contact with are likely to be standard US currency minted before 1965. These coins are typically circulated and of a normal minting run with no errors or anomalies, and are therefore worth roughly the same as the value of the silver pure contained in the coin. (These post-circulation coins are called junk silver). Almost all US quarter dollars made in 1964 or earlier contain 90% pure silver, and the remainder in alloy metals for hardness and durability. If the coin were to be melted down, the silver collected, and sold at today’s market value for silver, that silver would fetch a price sililar to the value of the quarter at sale today. In essence, values of silver quarters are often little more than melt value. Just to be sure, though, have a coin dealer look at your coins to be sure there are no unfound treasures under your nose.

However, if the coin is in perfect condition, or otherwise special appearing, it should definitely be appraised by a reputable dealer.

Silver Dollar Coin Value

Want to know a silver dollar coin value for selling purposes? This page is a great place to start. There is other pages specifically about silver dollar prices for buying, and how / where to buy silver coins .

Let’s begin by learning what a silver coin is, and what is isn’t. In the terminology of coin traders a true coin is a round, minted piece of metal that used as a form of currency, and usually issued by a government. Examples of US minted silver coins are the Mercury Dime, 1932-1964 Quarter, 1916-1970 Half Dollar, Morgan Silver Dollar, and Peace Silver Dollar, just to name some of the more common ones.

A silver coin is not just every round silver thing with a design stamped on it. If the item is minted by a non-government entity, it is usually not called a coin, but rather it is called a silver round or silver bullion round. So, a silver coin is not the same thing as a silver round or silver bullion.

Now that we know what a silver dollar coin actually is, let’s talk about the value of silver dollars. All the silver coins called dollars are worth a lot more that a dollar in today’s market. Today the US dollar is issued in paper form, and also in coin form, but not in silver or any other precious metal. These modern dollar coins are made of cheap metals like zinc and brass, and their melt value is just is penny or two, so in essence they have no intrinsic value in the metals that they are composed of. If you want to own a coin that has real value then generally you must buy silver coins that are minted before 1965 or buy silver bullion.

A real silver dollar coin value, on the market, will never be less that its melt value. This means that any coin that contains silver won’t ever be worth less that the value of the weight of silver contained within it.

Silver coins are often valued by their collectability in terms of the face value, and all coins have some value to the contents of their constituent metals. Silver coins are of specific interest because silver itself is widely used and recognized as a valuable metal that has value in its beauty along with its uses in industry, medicine, and history, along with the numismatic value that collectors and investors are interested in. Investors are usually also considering the melt value of bullion a nd junk silver.

Take as a specific example the Morgan silver dollar which was minted in the US from 1878 to 1921 in the mints located in New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City, then in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Denver. The Peace silver dollar is another example of American silver that maintains good value for collectable specimens. Even the coins that are badly worn still have an excellent chance of selling at greater than melt value simply because they are minted and therefore contain a known ratio of alloy in the coin. This fact alone makes junk silver bags an excellent investment for a people concerned with the future resale value of the coins since the silver dollar coin value cannot be below the melt value ever.

If the current 2010 economy changes like all economies will, silver stands to be a strong solid investment whether inflation or deflation happens. Some say that the price of silver is already severely depressed by intentional mechanisms and that this artificial relative deflation will reverse to a great extent or even disappear completely in the near future as many may flee fiat currency for real hard cash. Junk silver stands to be a winner if the US dollar weakens significantly. Just like any hard asset in times of sweeping monetary valuation change silver would most certainly be in high demand along with gold. Other less portable and valuable assets take second place to these timeless forms of money that are relatively simple to price.

Silver jewelry also maintains value quite well especially artwork grade pieces, but the melt value can be hard to determine requiring chemical tests in the absence of reliable markings placed by the maker. Melting jewelry for scrap reclamation can make the silver content of each piece to be irrelevant at the time of melting, as the purifier company can measure the actual silver content of the entire ingot you provide. As a note, you will want to probably have jewelry appraised before melting, unless you are certain that your piece is not a collectors piece.

If you have a United States quarter dollar coin (25 cents) that was minted in 1964 or earlier then it has actual silver content and is worth far more than its face value, even in terrible condition. Quarters minted after 1964 are clad tokens and do not contain precious metals. If your quarter is nice and unworn, with the details being clear and unworn then the value can become astronomically higher. The same goes for silver dollars and half dollars. During times of material shortages the mint has not produced coins of some denominations, or even minted them using metals other than usual e.g. tin. But for the most part all dimes up to dollar coins minted until 1964 are 90% silver with ten percent other metals to increase durability. These coins are always valuable and some are worth a small fortune. No matter what, a silver dollar coin value remains constant on some level. Check out silver dollar coin values at NGCCoin. Check PCGS’s silver coin values.

Value of Silver Dollars

When selling silver dollar coins the seller should always take the time to learn the sale value of silver dollars beforehand. The sale of these valuable coins should end with the seller and buyer both getting what they feel is a good deal.

When selling silver dollars that are very worn and definitely not collectible, then expect to sell at a value that is near melt value. Also, of the markings of the coin are still visible, check the date and mint mark against the table on this page, to be sure that the coin is not a rare item. If it does end up being a rare coin, then the sell value should be significantly higher than melt value.

Selling silver dollar coins that are in good condition will certainly net higher profits, since these coins are desirable to collectors and investors alike. The silver content alone guarantees a minimum value for the coin, and on top of that value there is a numismatic value for the mint date and location. Some rare silver dollar coin values are in the tens of thousands of dollars! So, be sure to check the chart below to see if your silver dollars are rare ones. Also be sure to check other sources, such as coin value books, as a “second opinion”, before selling.

There are many US silver dollars that are common types in the silver dollar trading market. The most easily found ones are Morgan silver dollars (there is a special page for finding a Morgan Silver Dollar value here), the Peace dollar, Seated Liberty dollars, and Eisenhower dollars. Since these coins have been used as currency in past years, they are more valuable to people who are collecting them for the possible need to use them as currency in the future; they were used and trusted as real money before, because they are silver, and they would easily be accepted as real money again, because of their intrinsic value and intention to be used as currency.

The walking liberty silver half dollar was minted during the early twentieth century in the US cities of Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Considered by some to be the most beautiful of the circulated silver dollar coins, her first appearance came in 1916 at the hands of Adolph A. Weinman who created the first concepts and dies of the initial minting. The Walking Liberty series was minted up through 1947. The value of walking liberty silver half dollars will depend on the rarity and condition of the coin, and the price paid for this silver coin will never be less than its melt value (unless a “deal” is at hand.) And what WOULD a deal be, anyway? You’ll have to know the actual value of the coin before it can be discerned as a deal, and investment, or other. We’ve provided a chart that shows the estimated 2010 value of silver dollars in the walking liberty design, for your convenience. There are also currently-minted silver bullion rounds that feature a walking liberty on the coin face.

Seated liberty dollars are another excellent silver dollar coin minted in the US during the nineteenth century in the cities of Philadelphia, Carson City, New Orleans and San Francisco. This coin is named for the depiction of a seated lady liberty and was minted from 1840 to 1873 although the other silver coins in the seated liberty series continued to be minted through 1891. The value of silver dollars in the seated liberty series can be quite high especially with the rare mintages i.e. 1916-P & -S, 1921-D & -P, 1938-D to name a few. The design is by Christian Gobrecht , and featured not only on the silver dollar but also on the dime, half dime, quarter and half dollar. A chart with the value of silver dollars in the seated liberty design is being compiled now.

(Silver Dollar Sale Value chart)

Peace Silver Dollar Value

Peace silver dollar coins are colectible silver coins minted inthe United States during the early twentieth century.

Date and Mint Mark Mintage Average Value Top Value Full Values List
1921 1,006,473 $117 $7,951 more details
1922 51,737,000 $21 $7,636 more details
1922D 15,063,000 $23 $69,139 more details
1922S 17,475,000 $22 $3,371 more details
1923 30,800,000 $22 $228 more details
1923D 6,811,000 $23 $1,817 more details
1923S 19,020,000 $20 $9,267 more details
1924 11,811,000 $22 $67 more details
1924S 1,728,000 $38 $10,366 more details
1925 10,198,000 $22 $236 more details
1925S 1,610,000 $35 $22,117 more details
1926 1,939,000 $26 $6,740 more details
1926D 2,348,700 $24 $89 more details
1926S 6,980,000 $24 $1,282 more details
1927 848,000 $39 $2,613 more details
1927D 1,268,900 $47 $8,008 more details
1927S 866,000 $49 $15,213 more details
1928 360,649 $480 $5,469 more details
1928S 1,632,000 $41 $24,226 more details
1934 954,057 $39 $1,271 more details
1934D 1,569,500 $38 $2,489 more details
1934S 1,011,000 $224 $7,835 more details
1935 1,576,000 $44 $6,056 more details
1935S 1,964,000 $30 $1,613 more details

StateQuarters information about Peace silver dollar coin values.
Wikipedia information about Peace silver dollars.

How To Buy Silver

Many people want to buy silver but don’t know how to buy silver. Perhaps we can help you get comfortable with the process by explaining it to you. First, relax and have fun, this is going to be easier than you might think. Second, set your investment goals clearly for yourself. Third, find a reputable source for buying silver, one that will give honest deals without any scams or exorbitant mark-ups. Finally, carry out your investment plan to reach your goals. For instance, if you choose to own 1,000 ounces of silver, and you have $500 per month budgeted for the invensment, then you can acquire roughly twenty-five $20 silver ounces per month. in two and a half years your 1000-ounce investment will be complete, and holding its value as the world financial markets of fiat money continue to inflate and deflate at will.

An excellent way to acquire silver bullion is to buy silver rounds from a reputable online dealer. One such silver dealer is LynnCoins.com who has ben selling for 30 years.

Another great way to get silver is to become a member of a monthly silver delivery service such as Silver Snowball. This method offers the ease of regular deliveries each month, building your silver bullion stockpile surely and steadily. The monthly programs usually offer you the opportunity to get real money in the form of physical silver metal.

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Silver prices worldwide are generally on the rise. While they held relatively steady throughout the 1990’s, since 2004 they have risen up to 400% at some points. See these historical silver charts for a visual aide.

If one wants to invest in silver and “take delivery” of it, the preferred method is to buy silver coins and buy silver bullion in its various forms. When buying silver, the current spot price of silver must be taken into consideration. The current price of silver per ounce, gram, or kilo is vitally important information if one plans to make a purchase. Get a silver quote to check the current price.

By calculating the silver spot price multiplied by the quantity of silver to be purchased, one can know the true current value of the metal within the coins or bullion for sale, this is called the spot value. By then calculating the sale price minus the spot value one can determine the amount they will pay in premiums. Silver pricing fluctuates during market trading hours, but some dealers will lock in an instant price for purchase if you have a contract to buy. That way the buyer is guaranteed a purchase at that set price, and the dealer is guaranteed to make that sale.

If you’re considering investing in silver coins or bullion they you’ll also want to consider the potential for future silver prices.



Silver prices 2014 historical data table



Silver prices 2014 historical data table

Price of Junk Silver Coins

One of the lovely things about old “junk” currency coins is that price of junk silver coins is easy to determine. They have a constant and predictable silver content, by weight and by face value, so it makes them easy to work with.

The face value of a silver half dollar coin is 50 cents. The face value of a silver dime is 10 cents. So, a dime has one fifth (1/5) of the face value that the half dollar has. And the neat thing is that the dime also has exactly 1/5 of the silver content that the half dollar has, also.

Because of this consistency, silver junk coins are often sold by bags per face value, or by weight. For instance, these coins are commonly traded by the “bag”. A standard bag contains a total face value of $1000, regardless of which type of coin(s) it contains. So, a bag might have 10,000 dimes or 4,000 quarters or 2,000 half-dollars, or any combination of silver coins that equals $1000 of face value.

The price of a full bag of junk silver, at the time of this writing (May 2009) is just over $11,150. The spot price of silver today is $14.60. Each dollar of face value contains about 0.72 ounces of pure silver. So the math goes like this: Multiply the price of silver by 0.72, then multuply that product by the number of dollars of face value in the bag.

Our example with today’s spot price, tells us that a $1000 face value bag of junk silver contains about $10,500 of pure silver. ($14.60 x 0.72 x $1000 = $10,512) By then subtracting this value, from the price of the bag mentioned above ($11,150) the premium that will be paid is discovered, which in this case equals about $638.

By then dividing the premium amount by the silver content value ($638 ÷ $10,512 = 0.061 = 6.1%) we get the premium percentage, which in our example here is 6.1%. This is fairly low, considering that some forms of silver, even bullion, can carry premiums over 30%, especially when sold in low quantities.

So, the price of junk silver coins sold in quantity will commonly carry a relatively small premium.

Junk Silver

Junk silver is a general term used to describe non-collectible silver coins minted in the United States and Canada. These coins have been in circulation, meaning they were used as money and treated accordingly, being carried in pockets and purses, and not protected from wear in any way. As a result, they are worn to a point that collectors have no interest in them, so they are called “junk” because of their condition. However, junk is a misnomer because these coins are actually treasure, they are real and true money, unlike what we carry and use today.

The collection of so-called “junk” coins is almost purely for two reasons:

  1. They contain high percentages of silver (90% in US coins, 80% in Canadian coins).*
  2. They can easily be used as money again if the current dollars become valueless for some reason. In this case, the fact that they have standard weights and silver contents along with a history of being real currency makes them ideal.

* These percentages apply to most coins, there are some exceptions.