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Canadian Silver Coins

by stevec85 on May 16, 2012

Canadian Silver Coins | Canadian Junk SilverCanadian Silver Coins? When considering junk silver coins all the talk seems to be focused on Pre-1964 US coinage, when US dimes, quarters and half-dollar coins were 90% composed of silver. But US coins are not the only option for junk silver investors. Another great way to own silver coins is to consider Canadian Silver Coins.

Canadian Silver Coins

There are differences between Canadian Silver coins and US junk silver coins that need to be considered, with the primary difference being the amount of silver in each coin and the range of time the coins were minted.

The most common Canadian junk silver coins avail to investors are the Dime, Quarter, Half Dollar, and Canadian Dollar  minted before 1967.

Canadian Coin                                   Composition                                      Oz. of Silver/Coin

1920-1966 Dime*                               80% Silver, 20% Copper                         0.0599

1920-1967 Quarter                            80% Silver, 20% Copper                        0.1499

1920-1967 Half Dollar                      80% Silver, 20% Copper                       0.2999

1935-1967 Dollar                                80% Silver, 20% Copper                       0.6000

 

*Roughly half of the Canadian Silver Dimes minted in 1967 were 50% Silver, 50% Copper.  A portion of the coins minted in 1968 consisted of the 50%/50% silver coins, although the majority were 99.9% Nickel.

The Canadian dollar has been on a tear the last couple years, gaining in value considerably against the US dollar and most other world currencies, but it is still a fiat currency subject to the vagrancies of political decisions and the depredations of the banking cartels.  In other words, you can’t trust it.  Silver on the other hand has proven itself a reliable way to preserve and protect wealth for thousands of years.

Silver is silver is silver, no matter what Country issues the coin.  As junk silver investors we are interested in acquiring more of the precious metal at the lowest cost available, and this is usually done by purchasing junk silver coins.

One of the advantages of investing in Canadian coins is that, compared to their US counterparts, they are relatively unknown outside Canada.  For Canadian residents these make an obvious great choice for your silver investing…(you can pick some up here), but serious junk silver investors may want to consider them as well. Being only 80% silver they are an even more affordable investment on a coin by coin basis, plus they can vicariously strike your interest in the global silver market.  They are also fun to look at and own.

Own Canadian Silver Coins.

photo by: Cindy Andrie

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Silver Quarters

by stevec85 on May 7, 2012

Junk Silver Coins, silver quartersThe United States quarter is officially worth 1/4 (hence the name) of the US Dollar, a fiat currency whose value changes daily.

“Shave and a haircut, two bits.” – Yeah, those days are through.

From 1796 until 1964 American quarter dollar coins were minted out of silver, in an alloy equal to 90% silver, 10% copper.  In 1964 the United States debased it’s coinage, the first sign in the decline of a nation’s currency, and quarters minted from 1965 on are basically worthless in terms of intrinsic value.

Silver quarters are an excellent silver coin to both start out and build up a collection of physical silver coins.  Six quarters will give you more than an ounce of silver ($1.40 in US junk silver coin face value = 1 troy ounce of silver) so the quarter is a relatively inexpensive way to pick up silver, a little bit each month.

As I write this silver quarters are worth $5.45 and you can pick them up for about $7 – $8 a piece, less if you buy them by the roll.

Silver quarters are plentiful, either on eBay or at your local coin shop.

Collecting Silver Quarter Coins

Collecting silver coinsJunk silver coins are called “junk” because they have no collectible value, but that doesn’t mean they’re not fun to collect.  The design of the US quarter has changed and evolved as the nation has changed and evolved.  I like to collect the different versions of the all the junk silver coins. Partly because it imparts a sense of history, partly to diversify my coin holdings but mostly because it adds a bit of fun to my silver savings program.

There’s something about holding  a coin in your hands that you simply don’t get from a bank statement or from knowing you own electronic silver somewhere in a distant account, especially when the coin is more than a hundred years old.  It takes you back to a time when the dollar was sound, politicians could be trusted (okay, you can never trust a politician, but they generally kept out of your business back then) and the world made more sense.  It’s visceral, a feeling that shoots throughout your whole being and tells you everything might be alright if we base our actions and savings on something real.

While there have been quarters around since 1796 here are the ones you’re most likely to find -

1892 – 1916 Barber Quarter – Expect to pay more for these because they are rarer and harder to find than more recently minted quarters.  These are the quarters that saw the United States expand into empire and took us into World War One. Harder to find in junk condition, most of these coins will show signs of heavy usage.

1916 – 1930 Standing Liberty Quarter – As with the Barber Quarter most of the “junk” Standing Liberty Quarters are going to show considerable signs of wear because of heavy usage.  The nicer looking coins will tend to have some collectible status and command a higher price. Then again, there’s nothing wrong with paying a little more money for a beautiful coin.  After all, there are pleasures beyond financial security and coins are a work of art.  I find myself often paying for mint condition Morgan Silver Dollar’s because I simply like the coin.

1932 – 1964 Washington Quarter – This is the one we’re all familiar with (if you’re an American) and there are plenty of them out there.  Even the junk silver Washington quarters are usually in pretty good condition.

If you’re interested in silver coin investing or looking to own or collect silver coins silver quarters are a great way to start.  There are a lot of bargains out there once you know what to look for. (A good place to start is with the change you get back when you’re at the store.  Every now and then, rarely, but it does happen, you’ll get a silver coin back.  Most people are totally unfamiliar with silver coinage or even remember that coins were once made of silver. Their ignorance is your advantage.

Start looking on eBay, which will let you see a lot of coins and let you know what market value is for the various coins.  If you’re so inclined and have one close to you, visit a local coin shop, see what they have and ask questions.  Soon you’ll be a well informed buyer of silver coins.

Start now…Own Junk Silver Coins

 

photo by: mac.rj

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