The Morgan dollar was minted from 1878 till 1904 and again in 1921. Its composite is 90% American silver and 10% copper. They were minted in 5 different locations, Carson city (CC), Denver (D), New Orleans (O), San Francisco (S) and Philadelphia ( ).  All of the proofs except for the 1921 were minted in Philadelphia.

For the average person who is into coin collecting the most valuable ones are the coins minted at the Carson City Nevada mint due to its real life connection to the old west. Many consider this version the rarest by numbers, but the Denver mint only produced these coins for the last year in 1921 so it’s a judgment call.

There was also a book published by Van Allen and A. George Mallis that went into detail about all the irregularities of this coin. The miss stamps and odd ball coins they point out are now referred to as the VAM Morgan dollars.

Considered by most, the coins with the highest value are the 1878 P because the eagle has 8 tail feathers. Because of minting problems the 1879 CC where the CC is clear is also rare. To many smudged ones came out. There is also the 1882-O over an S, The 1887-O the 7 is over a 6. The 1900-O is over the CC, the 1901-P Shifted Eagles and in 1903-S the S is smaller than normal.

For a complete Morgan Dollar Collecting Guide would take well over 100 pages, but this small article will give you a starting point. Enjoy collecting coins; it is history you can hold in the palm your hand.

For additional resources on coins please see Yosemite National Park Quarters. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve out site please leave them. Thank You for visiting.

This series of coins were being minted when the motto “In God We Trust” began to appear on American coins. This was in response to the heart ache and loss of so many Americans during the civil war. This motto started to appear in 1866 on the reverse of this coin.

In that first year, 1939, there were 2 versions of the coin. The one with the drape on the lady’s elbow is worth 2 to 10 times more than a comparable version without one.  Another rarity was the 1853 coin. This was the only year there were rays in the back side behind the eagle.

One unusual fact of this coin has to be mentioned. There were three different weights but the diameter remained the same. From 1839 to 1853, the coin weighed 13.36g. From 1853 to 1873 the weight of the coins was 12.44g. From 1873 to 1891 the weight was increased to 12.50g.

This coin was minted at the same time of the Morgan Silver Dollar. At the Philadelphia mint, a majority of the resources were transferred to their minting. That makes all the Seated Liberty half dollars minted during this period at the Philadelphia mint very rare.

For most that enjoy coin collecting, the CC or Carson City-minted coins are popular since this mint no longer exists, and there is a connection to the Wild West. But there are others that are worth watching out for. An extremely rare coin is the 1878 S which only a few are known to exist. Another rare coin where only 5 are known to still be with us is the 1853 O with no arrows at the date and no rays on the back.

I hope this Seated Liberty Half Dollar guide gives you a better appreciation for this coin.

For additional resources on coins, please see Collecting Roman Coins. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve our site, please leave them. Thank you for visiting.

This set is the latest release from the US Mint that became open for public purchase on May 27, 2010. The Hot Springs Coin is the only one currently in circulation, and this is the only way a coin collector can have copies of all five coins at this time.

The total weight of all five coins is 0.904 troy ounces. What sets the proof apart for normal coins the mint produce is that they are struck twice to three times to make sure the impression is clear on the coin. Each coin is also specially cleaned and polished to a mirror like finish, unlike the standard coins, which are not polished that way.

The current price from the US Mint for this set is $32.95, plus shipping and handling.

The only other coins from this series that are available at this time are the 100 coin bags and 2 rolls of the Hot Springs Coin. On June 3^rd, the second coin meant for circulation will be scheduled for release. This is the Yellowstone National Park Coin.

For those that enjoy coin collecting, the 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set is the first set of an 11 year run. This could be your start to collecting this complete series without having to pay an additional charge once the mint stops producing this collector’s series.

For additional resources on coins, please see Silver Spot Price. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. Please feel free to give us your comments or suggestions to help us improve our site. Thank you for visiting.

The different markets that silver is traded on are Australian, Hong Kong, New York Globex, London and the New York NYMEX. The price is carried over from one to other with a few of the markets being open simultaneously.

For those that are not sure what a spot market is and how it relates to silver, it can be explained easily. The spot market is the selling price of a commodity at any particular time. This sale is made with the exchange of currency and then the delivery of the commodity is immediate.

There are several ways to invest in silver. Coin collecting is one option. Rare and antique coins can have as much as .999 pure silver in them. But there is always an added price for the coin itself. It is very rare you can find a silver bullion coin for the spot price of silver when you purchase it. There are commemorative silver coins that contain 90% silver. Again they are priced above the silver bullion spot price.

If you are going to purchase silver coins do it only as a collector and not as an investment unless it is from a government mint that is selling silver bullion coins. This should be sold at the spot price of the silver or slightly above it. In addition they will send you the silver bullion coins that you get to actually take possession of.

The silver spot price is the actual selling price of the commodity silver, not what most people buy on television or at a coin store when purchasing silver.

For additional resources on coins please see Minnesota Quarter Error. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve out site please leave them. Thank You for visiting.

In total there will be 56 different coins released commemorating national parks and national sites across our great land. Each of these quarters will have the standard face or head of the coin that was first designed by John Flanagan of George Washington in 1932.

For coin collecting, these quarters are being released in sets of 2 rolls of 40 coins each or a bag of 100 coins. There is no mint limit or order limitations associated with this coin.

The same coin is being released as the Quarter Dollar that is being struck with 0.999 pure silver with a total weight of 5 ounces. There is no release date set for any of these silver quarter dollars, but they are scheduled in the same year as the regular American the Beautiful coins are released for circulation. Also the proof sets should be available by August or September by estimates give by the US Mint which are made of 90% silver.

The program is to last for 11 years until all 56 coin designs are released to the American public. If you wish, there is a box on the US Mint website they you can subscribe to and receive a shipment of these coins as soon as they are released to the public.

The America the Beautiful Silver Quarters are another way the US Mint is commemorating the United States of American in metal for all the ages to remember.

For additional resources on coins please see Best Coins to Buy 2010

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This has become one of the fastest sellers of silver coins in recent history. But different than the 2010 American Veterans Disability for Life Commemorative coins, this one has a larger household limit of 100.

The surcharge that is associated with this coin when it is purchased from the US Mint is forwarded to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation that supplies funding to the local councils for distribution to the troops.

The coin itself is to commemorate the 100 years of the Boy Scouts, which occurred on February 8, 2010.

The coin was able to be produced because of the coin act or Public Law 110-363. There are two different coins that were minted. The Proof Silver Dollar has an introductory price of $39.95 and a regular price of $43.95. The uncirculated Silver Dollar has an introductory price of $33.95 and a regular price of $35.95. The introductory prices are good for sales until April 21, 2010 at 5:00 pm ET unless they are sold out before hand.

The physical description of the coin is 26.730 grams in weight. The diameter is 1.5 inches or 38.10 mm. The metal used to make the coin is 90% silver and 10% copper.

The main difference in appearance of the 2010 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Silver Dollar between the proof and the uncirculated is the mirror finish of the proof. If you are into coin collecting and want one of these coins for your collection, I suggest you act fast before the mint sells out and the price goes up.

For additional resources on coins please see Franklin Mint Coins and Dollar Silver Certificate

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Up until about 1964, most coins in the United States were minted from silver.  Most of thm were minted as 90% silver and 10% alloy (usually copper).  The most well-known of the 90% silver dimes that are collected are the Roosevelt and the Mercury coins.

Mercury silver dimes were minted from 1916 to 1945 and are a 90% silver.  Proofs were made until 1942 and then only circulated versions were made due to the war.  In 1946, the Mint then changed the design and minted the Roosevelt silver dimes, shortly after the President’s death.  It is, by the way, the Roosevelt 90% silver dimes that gave the March of Dimes its name.  Roosevelt, being a polio victim, worked hard to get the foundation into the mainstream.

Until 1964, the Roosevelt 90% silver dimes were made of 90:10 silver:copper.  That then changed in 1964-5 to become copper clad in copper-nickel.  New all-silver collector sets became available from the Mint in 1992.

The most popular, low-cost, and fun way to find silver coins is to buy bulk bags of circulated silver coins, which are usually sold by weight.  The coins have little collectible value and are sold mostly as silver alloy.  Many new collectors like to sort through the coins from the bag, however, to hunt for rare gems or to create bags of only dimes, only quarters, and so forth.  This is probably the best way for a newbie on a low budget to get started with silver dimes.

The Morgan Dollar got its name from George T. Morgan who designed the coins and were minted from 1878 to 1904 and then again in 1921.  One of the more commonly circulated and very collectible years of that production series is the 1885 Morgan Dollar.  It is also one of the most counterfeited of the Morgan dollar coins.

The Morgan Dollar came about after the Comstock Lode in Nevada flooded the market with low-cost silver.  Prices were on the rise again as the popular Morgan Dollar was introduced, but the demand for the coin kept it going.  The 1885 Morgan Silver Dollars were one of the largest runs in the series and were some of the first to be seriously collected by aficionados, which is why it’s more available today than some other years of the Morgan.

In fact, most 1885 Morgan Dollar coins are averaging MS-63 and 64 grades, making them very collectible.  A few 1885 Morgan Silver Dollars can be had at MS 67 and 68 grades, but at a much higher premium.   One MS-67 1885 Morgan Dollar sold for $10,500 in 2003.

Most proof 64 1885 Morgan Silver Dollars are selling for about $2,000 on average.  They become available regularly and many coin shops carry Morgan Dollar coins for sale, though MS-graded coins are not so often available.

In response from the many Americans with interest in silver and silver mining, the US Mint stated producing silver certificates in 1878 and continued to do so until 1964. These certificates were redeemable for their face value in silver coins. In 1934 congress passed a law that permitted the silver certificate to be exchange for either silver coins or silver bullion. Once a certificate was redeemed for its silver value it had to be destroyed, because of the lack of silver being produced and received by the US Treasury Department.

By the 1960’s the worth of these silver certificates rose to $1.29 because of the increased value of silver. Americans started to turn in their silver certificates for silver bullion which in turn depleted the US reserve of silver. In March of 1964, the exchange of silver certificates to silver coins was ceased and in June of 1968 all redemption of silver for a silver certificate came to an end.

Today there are still silver certificates in $1, $2, $5, and $10 denominations in circulation, but most are snagged up by collectors when seen. The main difference in these notes are that the seal on the right side of the note is in blue and the bottom of the note are the words “in silver payable to the bearer by demand” also at the top is the words Silver Certificate rather than the standard Federal Reserve Note.

For many whom are into coin collecting, a Dollar Silver Certificate is still considered a part of their coin collection due to its uniqueness and rarity. But that has not helped to increase their value which at today’s auctions is still only $2.

The first five coins of this set for coin collecting will have depictions of Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Yosemite National Park in California, the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and Mount Hood National Park in Oregon on the tail side. The face side will have a restored version of George Washington from the 1932 John Flanagan portrait.

The Proof Silver coin itself will be made of 0.999 fine silver. The diameter will be 3 inches and each will weigh about 5 ounces. There will be an America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set, America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set, 100-coin America the Beautiful Quarters Bag, and America the Beautiful Quarters Two-Roll Sets.

The first quarters to go on sale will be the Hot springs National Park that is scheduled for an April release. The Proof Set will become available in May. The Silver Proof Set will be available in May or June. The Yellow Stone Quarter will be released in June. Yosemite should be available in July or August. The Grand Canyon is scheduled for a September release, and Mount Hood is listed for a November release date.

To date, the US Mint still claim there is a shortage of silver bullion blanks so the mandated law of producing the Silver Eagle might be ignored for another year so the America the Beautiful silver bullion coins can be produced.