AboutJoe Hylas Expertise Numismatic professional with over 25 years experience can answer your questions about US coins, their values, how best to sell them and where to buy them. Interested in starting a collection? Find out which areas are undervalued and how to acquire those coins at the best price.
Experience Ex-Head Precious Metals trader for Deak-Perera International with 42 offices worldwide. Industry experience since 1978. Has worked co-operatively with US Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, Austrian Mint, Chamber of Mines of South Africa, World Gold Council and Platinum Guild International. Professioanl numismatist specializing in US Coins. Always buying collections, will travel if size of collection warrants. Website: www.AllCoins.US
What is the value of silver coins doing? Is the present market making an average silver coin (from 1900's) more valuable because of the metal. Or is the best determination value still according to date, circulation and condition.
Answer Hi Dave,
First off, thanks for the recognition!
You question is multipart. To begin with, some coins are only worth their silver content. Common pieces in circulated condition are worth about 4 x the face value.
Coins like Walking Liberty Halves and Mercury dimes sometimes bring a premium over silver but usually not more than 10% if they are common dates and circulated.
Silver dollars always bring a premium over the silver content as long as they are not cleaned, really worn or damaged. Currently, silver dollars are anywhere from $7 and up.
Certainly, better date coins bring a premium. But those better dates must be substantially better not slightly better. You have to remember that a dealer must inventory these coins and wait for a buyer. No dealer will pay a premium for a slightly better date only because of that reason.
The Guidebook to US Coins (Redbook) is a good tool. Although the values are "retail" and not always accurate at that, it does serve the purpose of showing which coins are truly better pieces. Make a list of those better dates and pull them out, everything else is just "silver".
