Posted on

Which Quarters are Silver?

FindBullionPrices.com
junk silver quarters

US quarters that were minted before 1965 contain silver. The silver quarters were struck with an alloy that contains 90% silver. The melt value for each silver quarter is over $4.00 today.

Silver quarters, like all 90% silver US coinage are sometimes referred to as “junk silver”. This is a common term adopted from the coin collecting industry for coins that have no numismatic value. Their value lies strictly in the intrinsic silver content.

Junk silver quarters are a great way to get started with investing in silver. They are fractional and you can buy them close to spot price. In some cases, you can buy silver quarters at spot price.

Silver Quarters in Circulation

There are still some silver quarters circulating alongside modern quarters. The Washington Quarter was introduced in 1932. More than 3 billion silver Washington quarters were minted up until the debasement began in 1965. While many have been melted down over the years, there are still plenty available in the wild.

The easiest way to tell if you have a silver quarter is to look at the date. All quarters that were minted prior to 1965 contain 90% silver content. If your quarter is from 1964 or earlier, then it is a silver quarter.

Silver Quarter Worth

At the very minimum, a silver quarter is worth its weight in silver. A 90% silver quarter has an overall gross weight over around 6.25 grams. Therefore, it has roughly 5.625 grams of silver. Based on the spot price, the intrinsic value of the silver is worth significantly more than the face value. Which is the primary reason that the government stopped to use of silver and made the switch to clad coins.

An easy way to estimate how much your silver quarters are worth is that each $1.00 Face Value, or four silver quarters, contains .715 troy ounces of silver. This is a commonly accepted weight that takes into consideration that there may be some wear and tear from circulation.

For more information about which silver quarters may be key dates and have some numismatic value you can check out the page on coinflation.com.

You can easily compare online dealer prices for 90% silver quarters:

Posted on

Mexico Gold 5 Peso Coin – 3 reasons why it’s a better investment than 1/10 oz American Gold Eagle

FindBullionPrices.com

The Mexico Gold 5 Peso coin is a gold bullion coin from Mexico. It was minted by the national mint of Mexico, La Casa de Moneda de México from 1905-1955.

  1. The Mexico Gold 5 Peso coin and US 1/10th Oz Gold Eagle coin are roughly the same size
    The Mexico Gold 5 Peso coin is slightly larger than the US 1/10th Oz Gold Eagle, at 19 mm compared to 16.5 mm. By comparison, a modern US Dime is  17.91 mm in diameter, slightly larger than the fractional gold eagle, slightly less than the gold 5 peso. Since the coins are roughly the same size, both are easy to keep and store in a secure location that doesn’t take much physical space.
  2. The Mexico Gold 5 Peso coin contains more gold than the 1/10 oz Gold Eagle
    Even though the purity is slightly less, the Mexico Gold 5 Peso coin contains more gold than the 1/10 oz Gold Eagle, .1205 troy oz vs .10 troy oz.
  3. The Mexico Gold 5 Peso coin carries a lower premium than the 1/10 oz Gold Eagle
    The Mexico Gold 5 Peso coin often carries a lower premium per troy ounce when compared to the premiums on the 1/10 oz Gold Eagle. Often, dealer premiums for the Gold 5 Peso coin are around $10 per coin and at times can be found for much less. We’ve seen premiums on gold pesos as low as $5.00 per coin in recent months. Dealer premiums for 1/10 oz Gold Eagle coins are typically around $20 per coin.

Overall, the coins are similar in size, the purity of the Mexico Gold 5 peso coin is 90% pure gold, slightly less than the 1/10 oz Gold Eagle’s purity of 91.67% pure gold. This makes the gold 5 peso coin harder and more durable to handle. The 5 peso gold coin contains more gold and a similar price point as the 1/10 oz gold eagle, which means you’ll get more gold for the same price.

If you’re dollar cost averaging as you grow your investment in gold, buy Mexican gold 5 Peso coins for a better value.

Posted on

1 oz Silver Coins

FindBullionPrices.com
2018 American 1 oz Silver Eagle

1 oz silver coins are issued by various government mints around the world and are popular among investors and collectors for their silver content, as well as for their artistic and historical designs.

These silver coins are legal tender in the country they are minted, though their market value based on the silver content far exceeds their face value.

These coins are minted to cater to the demand from investors who invest in physical silver as a hedge against inflation, economic instability, or as part of a diversified investment portfolio. Investors buy 1 oz silver coins because they provide an accessible entry point into physical precious metals due to their relatively low cost compared to gold coins.

With unique and sometimes annually changing designs, these coins also appeal to collectors, attracting not only investors but also coin enthusiasts. Minting 1 oz silver coins allows countries to showcase their cultural heritage, national symbols, or commemorate significant events and figures.

Popular government bullion coins, such as the American Silver Eagle and the Austrian Silver Philharmonic are only minted in the standard 1 oz silver coin size. While larger size coins are available from other mints, they require a larger initial investment.

  • Compare the premium for different coins.
  • Coins with lower premiums are more cost-effective for pure investment purposes and as a store of value.
  • Coins from established, reputable mints are more trusted in terms of purity and quality.

Consider how easily the coin can be sold. Popular coins like the American Silver Eagle or Canadian Maple Leaf are recognized worldwide and are more liquid.

For some investors, the joy of collecting and the aesthetic appeal of a coin are also important considerations. Remember that some coins might carry a higher premium due to collectibility, design, or other factors.

US Mint American Eagle 1 oz Silver Coins

2023 American Eagle 1 oz Silver Coin Obverse

The US Mint first issued the American Eagle 1 oz Silver coin in 1986 as a trusted store of value for investors. For more than 37 years,

Research and Continuous Learning

As with any investment, it is important to stay informed trends in the precious metals market, historical values of coins and new issues. It can be helpful to join online forums, such as /r/Silverbugs on Reddit and engage with other collectors and investors can help provide valuable insights.

There are following news sites that specialize in news related to the precious metals industry and the numismatic industry.

Larger Silver Coin Denominations

Some governments issue coins in larger denominations and weights. For example, the Mexico Silver Libertad is released every year in multiple sizes, as are several of the annual series’ from the Perth Mint. The sizes include full troy ounce weights including:

Posted on

Cheapest American Silver Eagle coins

FindBullionPrices.com
Cheapest American Silver Eagle

American Silver Eagle Coins, the Silver Standard

The American Silver Eagle (ASE) coin has become the most recognized government issued bullion coin in the world. Introduced by the US Mint in 1986, the American Silver Eagle bullion coin has stood the test of time. Millions of Silver Eagle coins are minted each year. Investors and silver stackers are always on the hunt for the cheapest American Silver Eagle coins available.

Silver Eagle Premium

Authorized Purchasers are bullion wholesalers. Authorized Purchasers buy Silver Eagle coins at a fixed premium of $2.35 per coin over the LBMA silver spot price.  This automatically sets the price of American Silver Eagle coins higher than generic silver bullion. The dealers pass this premium on to consumers along with an additional premium that represents the dealer’s price markup.

Cheaper American Silver Eagle – Random Year (BU)

There are opportunities for buying American Silver Eagle (ASE) coins at a significant discount. Dealers trade American Silver Eagle coins from individuals at a discounted price as part of the precious metals secondary market.

Dealers sells these coins for sale at a discount. This helps to pass some of savings on to end users by offering discounts on “Random Year” coins. This usually means that the dealer has an inventory of coins that they’ve likely acquired from different individuals over time.

Random Year American Silver Eagle coins are one of the best values available for silver investors and silver stackers.

Cull Condition – The Cheapest American Silver Eagles

The cheapest American Silver Eagle coins available for sale on the secondary market are usually “Cull” coins. The condition of Cull American Silver Eagle coins will vary from dealer to dealer and from batch to batch. The conditions will usually show:

  • Signs of scratches
  • Some wear and tear
  • Signs of circulation and handling
  • May have been cleaned
  • Imperfections or other damage

A cull ASE coin will still contain 1 troy ounce of silver and the intrinsic value remains. Even in cull condition American Silver Eagle coins are still the most recognized government bullion coin in the world.

The cheapest American Silver Eagle coins you can buy will most often be ones in cull condition.

Where to Find the Cheapest American Silver Eagle coins

Dealers that offer cull condition and secondary market American Silver Eagle coins will have product listings on their website. The description or title of the listing will identify the coins as Random Year or Cull American Silver Eagle coins.

FindBullionPrices.com tracks the prices from a variety of trusted and reputable online bullion dealers. The price of Random Year American Silver Eagle and Cull American Silver Eagle coins varies based on daily changes to the silver spot price.

Posted on

What is Secondary Market Bullion?

FindBullionPrices.com

Secondary market metals are like the used car market for silver and gold bullion. Newly minted bars, coins are rounds are sold by online bullion dealers, local coins stores and pawn shops shortly after they have been manufactured.

When a bullion investors decides to divest their holdings, the precious metals are often sold back to a local coin shop, pawn shop or online bullion broker.

In some cases the bullion is sent back to a refinery where it is melted and recycled into another form.

Most of the time the bullion is resold to other investors as-is and becomes part of the secondary market.

This does not change the quality of the metal. And there is very little difference than when it comes from the original source.

Investments in secondary market metals hold the same value as similar newly minted bars, the primary difference is the source of the precious metals.

The primary driver for buying gold and silver bullion from secondary markets is the lower price, particularly when you’re looking for the cheapest premiums over spot.

Cheap Silver and Gold

There are several reasons why you should look to buy secondary market precious metals. Below are just a few of those reasons.

  • When a broker buys precious metals from individual investors they will often pay a price slightly below the melt value, which allows them to price these products lower than newly minted products.
  • You can often discover harder to find 10 oz silver bars and backdated gold coins.
  • Price is often lower because the coins may show some signs of wear, scruff marks, small scratches or tarnish.
  • It is a good way to get started into Precious Metals investing because the premiums are often lower. (Buy Silver)

These are just a few of the reasons people buy secondary market metals, investors have a large variety to choose from that are high in quality and offer great value.

Posted on

CoinWeek Silver Coin weekly Giveaway – Parthian Empire Silver Drachm Pacorus

FindBullionPrices.com

This week’s CoinWeek Silver Coin weekly giveaway is a Parthian Empire Silver Drachm Pacorus (78-120 AD) CH AU NGC coin.

The Parthian Empire, also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a major political and cultural power founded in 247 BC. The names comes from Arsaces I of Parthia, who was the leader of the Parni tribe that led the rebellion against the Seleucid Empire in what is now northeaster Iran.

The Empire was greatly expanded through 171-138 BC. At it’s height the Parthian Empire stretch from the northern Euphrates River through was is now central-eastern Turkey all the way through eastern Iran. The Empire was located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire and the Han Empire of China and became a center of significant trade and commerce.

The Drachma was adopted as the currency of the Parthian Empire. Coins were usually struck in silver and copper. Each ruler of the Parthian Empire issued their own coins, most struck with Greek and/or Parthian inscriptions.

Drachma coins produced throughout the Parthian period rarely weighed less than 3.5 grams or more than 4.2 grams. The first Parthian tetradrachms weighed around 16 grams with some variation.

https://coinweekgiveaways.com/index.php/giveaway/silver-coin-giveaway-208/?share=22285

Posted on

Bitcoin accepted as payment at APMEX

FindBullionPrices.com

Bitcoin now accepted at APMEX
Bitcoin now accepted at APMEX

APMEX announced that they now accept bitcoin as a payment method. Te announcement comes just in time for Black Friday and the 2017 Holiday shopping period. Bitcoin can be used for buying silver and gold bullion.

APMEX offers a 4% discount for Bitcoin payments. The discount is the same as check, eCheck or bank wire payments. Bitcoin payments can be made on orders up to $25,000. Orders more than $25,000 will require a different payment method.

How to pay with bitcoin at APMEX

During the checkout process you can now choose to complete your transaction with Bitcoin. You will be shown a Bitcoin invoice from their payment partner BitPay which will include a scannable QR code and a transaction id number.

To complete the payment you can scan the QR code with your mobile Bitcoin wallet or submit payment to the transaction id from a desktop Bitcoin wallet.

Additional information can be found in the APMEX Bitcoin FAQ.

Check out our list to see which other dealers accept Bitcoin as payment for silver and gold bullion.

 

Posted on

Buying silver bullion at spot price

FindBullionPrices.com

Many articles you may read online talk about not worrying about spot price when you’re buying silver. The reasoning behind that way of thinking is that buying silver is an investment. And like other investments the price of silver will go up over time. I think that way of thinking is foolish. Dollar-cost-averaging is great, assuming that the value of your investment is going to rise dramatically over time. Silver just does not historically perform that way.

Buying silver at spot price is like the holy grail for silver stackers. Buying silver at spot price avoids paying the premiums that dealers charge over spot. The premium on silver is where the dealers make their money. It’s the reason why the price of an ounce of generic silver bullion varies from dealer to dealer.

One bullion dealer, “Dealer  A” might sell a one ounce Sunshine Mint silver bar at 59 cents over spot. While another bullion dealer, “Dealer B”, might sell the same Sunshine Mint one ounce silver bar for $3 over spot.

What is Dealer Premium?

Why is there so much difference in price between Dealer A and Dealer B?

Even though they are the exact same product, Dealer B can charges more for that product because they can.

Many silver stackers tend to be a loyal to two or three different online dealers, regardless of whether that dealer offers the best prices for the same products. The main reason is trust.

Spot Price Deals

There are some bullion dealers that do offer some products for sale at spot price. They do this as a way to lure new customers to try their product and their service. Some of them are newer bullion dealers that are trying to establish themselves in the marketplace. Others are established dealers looking to lure customers from their competitors.

Whatever the reason, buying silver at spot price from these dealers is an opportunity to get a decent amount of silver bullion for the lowest price possible.

Use FindBullionPrices.com to find the deals to buy silver at spot price.