Silver Coin Collecting And Investment

Since currency was invented, the silver coin has always been one of the most popular

. They were used in ancient Greece and Persia as long as 2600 years ago. Silver gold coins were often made at that time too, but were just a primitive combination of both.

Because silver could be melted down, and had a relatively high value to weight ratio, it was ideal for coinage. It was also extremely tough and long lasting, and only really fell out of favor when paper money became standardized and easier to make. With the price of gold being so high these days, many people are choosing to collect or invest in silver coins instead, and they're back in favor.

Many things influence the value of silver coins. The rarity and age, purity of the metal, and general quality and condition being some of them. Coins of the highest value tend to fluctuate less in price than those of a lower value.

Strangely, the coin silver dollars which were first made in 1794, didn't always contain silver. The term really referred to any white metal coin that was worth a dollar. Purist's insist that they must actually contain some silver though, which seems pretty reasonable!

An assortment of commemorative coins are minted by the US. These can only be bought privately by collectors. Named 'rounds', instead of coins, they are a standard weight and size, and aren't made to be used as actual currency.

There are two distinctive ways to invest in silver coinage, depending on whether you simply want to use them for investment purposes, or if you actually like the coins. The First is to buy silver as bullion coins. These all weigh exactly the same, and have the same level of purity. The price is mainly dependant on the stock market, but every coin will be worth as much as its counterpart.

The second way, is where you actually collect various coins, from particular times in history, and from different countries. This is the fun way to do it, and all the coins will be worth different prices, with a full set fetching much more than its individual components. This is similar to antiques, with demand and trends often dictating prices. The quality and purity of each silver coin will be dependant on when, where, and how they were made, and it can become a very interesting and absorbing hobby.

Obviously, counterfeiting can affect both types of collection. Bullion only has a certain value though, as dictated by the market. With collectible coins, the sky is really the limit.

by: Eric McMillan

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