Junk Silver

Junk Silver Blog: Easy Ways To Get Junk Silver Below Spot!

2011-06-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Receiving or finding a junk silver U.S. coin is far more fun than going to the coin or jewelry store and buying them, isn't it? It is for me, so I have my secret ways of finding junk silver that I want to share with you. Some may already be known, but it's fun to discuss this with other junk silver fans like me.

Coinstar - I have promoted this for years and I can't get to every Coinstar machine so check this tip out. Coinstar rejects junk silver coins. Not only have a found silver in the return slot, I gambled not once, but twice(!) with a 1952 silver Roosevelt dime to prove it. Coinstar machines are found in most grocery stores and from personal observation, weekends seem to be the time when more people dump their change off at Coinstar. With over 12,000 Coinstar locations, there are probably ten or more machines near you right now. Next Sunday or Saturday afternoon, make an excuse to visit a few locations and see what turns up. (If you are smart, bring a small kid with you who does not mind getting on the floor and looking under the machine!)

Bank or Credit Union - I ask every time I visit the credit union if they have any halves in the drawer I could purchase. While most banks are savvy enough to know that the old coins have silver, many over look the 1964 Kennedy (because that version of the half is still in circulation) and 1965-1969 versions which contain 40% silver. I have purchased, at face value, one 1964 and seven 40% halves over the past year this way.

Take change, please - Spend cash on all small purchases. When receiving your change, ask the cashier for 2-3 dollars in quarters or dimes. Tell them you have to do laundry if you want to be sneaky. Do this a few times a week and silver will turn up.

Put an ad in the local shopper paper - Greensheet, Thrify Nickle, etc are cheap places to put ads like this "Need cash? I buy coin collections. Call 555-1234". Sure, you will get some calls from people wanting to sell state quarter collections, but there will be some good deals out there. (Hint: Never buy anything for more than face value). Please, don't rip off some old, naive person if you do this. However, many coin collections are sold by bum relatives who received them in inheritances, as gifts or divorce settlements and could care less about their real value.

There are ways to get junk silver for less than spot, but it takes some work, creativity and a little shoe leather. Good hunting!

Junk Silver: Roll Searching

2011-05-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

These days, most silver investors who are banking on junk silver, build their investment portfolio through purchases at coin stores, eBay or other online, reputable coin and precious metal dealers. Very few will tell you that searching for coins at stores or in pocket change is a reliable way to get pre-1964 junk silver coins.

A number of silver enthusiasts continue to do the old standby of "roll hunting" and are slowly, but steadily increasing their junk silver holdings at face value.

It works like this; go to your local bank or credit union and ask a box of halves. Typically, a coin roll hunter will order $100 - 500.00 in halves which the bank will have to order as well and have shipped in to the bank. The buyer picks up the halves and the fun begins.

Coin roll hunters will sit down and unroll each roll searching for silver coins. First they hold up the unwrapped roll and identify those coins with silver rims - those are easy. After going through all the rolls, they start checking the individual dates and pull halves dated between 1965 and 1970. These coins have 40% silver content and are worth collecting as well.

Afterward, the coin hunter rolls the halves back up, returns them to the bank and deposits them into their account. Sometimes, coin rollers will use the leftover coins to order and pay for more halves. Rinse and repeat.

Roll hunters will tell you to focus on halves and not quarters or dimes as those rolls were "mined" long ago - quarters and dimes are circulated more often than halves so the silver gets picked out sooner. Halves on the other hand have a low circulation rate so the rolls can pay off.

Some roll hunters are complaining that the returns on roll hunting are dropping each year as silver increases in value. Others say that the economy has more people dumping their coin jars and collections into the bank and that has the silver coin supply experiencing a "bump" in old coins returning to circulation.

Remember, if coin roll hunting, you can't lose any money on this pursuit as you are paying face value for the halves. Also, you can always use the leftover coins for small purchases. Good luck!

Junk Silver: What are those coins worth?

2011-05-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

A quick note about junk silver values...

My son was examining the 1944 Washington quarter I found in a box of old junk and asked me what it was worth.

Well, the face value is .25, but the silver value is, based upon silver pricing over $40.00 an ounce is about $7.00!

Those pre-1965 Roosevelt and Mercury head dimes? Try just under $3.00 a piece!

How about that 1964 Kennedy half? Try $15.00 a pop!

OK, so junk silver was a great investment or collector's hobby as the price has risen dramatically over the past few years. But what about the future?

Experts say as long as the money supply, i.e. dollars, remain printed based upon borrowing and debt, their value will only go down and the price of commodities, like gold and silver, including junk silver, will only go up. If inflation, the diminished buying power of the dollar, grows, silver and gold will continue to rise.

It's anybody's guess what will happen at this point as there are many variables in the world economy to conider. But the fact is silver, especailly junk silver, has offered a good return on the money over the past few years. Keep digging through that change. There's a fortune in pre-1964 silver out there!

Junk Silver: Odd Places To Find Junk Silver

2011-04-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

With silver prices over $40.00 per ounce, the demand for junk silver is at an all time high. Sure, you can walk into a coin or jewelry store and buy some pre-1964 dimes or quarters, but isn't it a lot more fun to actually find some for face value or free?

Here are some suggestions for finding, not buying at silver prices, junk silver.

The bank - silver hounds have used this strategy for years. Go to the bank and purchase a large amount of rolled coins. Dimes are good, quarters are better, but halves are the best. Buy as many rolls as you can afford, but don't worry, you are going to return most of them in short order.

Take home the rolled coins, open and sort them. Take out any pre-1964 silver coins. The best choice, as noted, are halves because fewer of them are in circulation and a box of $500.00 of halves should net at least a one or two 1964 Kennedy halves and a fair number of 40% silver 1965-1970 halves. After sorting, return the unwanted coins to the bank and deposit into your account.

Another suggestion which be so dumb it works - go to the bank and tell them your kid is collecting old coins and do they have any older dimes, quarters or halves in the drawer? Who knows? Some friendly teller may reach inside and hand over that strange old half dollar with Franklin on it she received earlier in the day.

Vending machines - Everytime you pass a phone, soda or coin machine, check the coin return slot. Odds are you probably won't find a 1962 silver quarter, but you might. As I have mentioned several times here, Coinstar machines have a habit of rejecting junk silver coins - I have found one pre-1965 quarter and three dimes from the machine near my house.

Grocery store, convinience stores - After paying for your purchases, look down at the floor. There is a good chance there might be someone's loose coins down there as they dropped it after receiving their change. My son regularly finds loose change this way each time we go to the grocery store. And because junk silver coins make a different sound when they fall, other patrons may not have noticed they dropped a 1957 quarter.

Drive thru windows - Be careful doing this! Have you ever been through the drive thru line at McDonalds? When paying at the window, take a glance down on the ground. Most likely there are a few to several coins dropped down there. If it is safe, open the car door and pick up what others have left behind.

Toll booth - This is highly dangerous and probably illegal. But many times I have been dropping coins in the toll basket and noticed the huge number of dropped coins on the ground around the basket. Most of them are quarters and I am sure a pre-1965 version, pillfered from a change jar or piggy bank, ends up down there. Again, it's probably against the law and very dangerous to actually do, but it can't hurt to fantasize about walking from booth to booth late at night picking up fallen coins. Don't do it though.

Pocket change - Obvious huh? But most of us who use cash frequently probably don't do this enough. Use cash for all small purchases and Check your change!

Old boxes and storage - I have been steadily cleaning out the garage and while doing so, came across a junk box of bits and pieces from my childhood. There in a box along with spare keys, marbles and other kid junk was a pristine 1944 Washington quarter. Who knows what lurks in the dark corners of your home?

Garage sales, flea markets, rummage sales - The same thing can be said about checking out these sales for unwanted coin collections, old piggy banks, boxes of drawer junk and so on.

Gold stores - I heard about this one on line but have not checked it out myself. With gold shooting through the roof, strip malls are sprouting up "Cash for Gold Jewelry" stores right and left. Someone mentioned that these stores frequently purchase coin collections and end up with small stashes of pre-1964 silver coins. As they are in the market for gold, they will often sell the coins below the current silver price just to get rid of them. I am sure most gold store proprietors know what silver is worth, but it can't hurt to check out this rumor and see if it is true.

Go coin shooting! Do you have a metal detector? Now is a good time to get one and start searching older parts of town. Every detector tells great stories about finding Mercury, Barber, Walking Liberty and other old coins when coin shooting.

There are lots of great ways to find junk silver and avoid paying the high cost of silver right now. Keep at it and don't forget - there are still coins in circulation from before 1965 so keep an eye out!

Junk Silver: Best Junk Silver Coins to Buy

2011-01-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Junk silver is incredibly popular for investors right now because of the rising price of gold, the lower value of the dollar and the possibility of inflation. However, there are many junk silver coin purchase options and it is critical buyers make the right choices.

Junk silver coins are any US silver dime, quarter or halve minted before 1965 and which have 90% of their weight in real silver. Coins minted after this date are called clads and have either very little or no silver content and are primarily comprised of copper, zinc and other metals.

For many, junk silver investment can include older US coins like Morgan silver dollars, Franklin halves, Barber and Mercury head dimes. However, new investors might do well to limit their purchases to newer US junk silver coins. Here's why.

Newer junk silver coins, those minted between 1960-1964, have 90% silver content, but many were circulated less than the older coins listed above. Thus, they may have most of their silver content and less loss due to circulation.

Further, Barber and Morgan coins are highly sought by coin collectors making the bid price sometimes higher than than the silver value.

1960-1964 silver coins include the Roosevelt dime and the Washington quarter (both still in use today) and the Kennedy halve (1964 only). Franklin halves, minted from 1948 to 1963, are 90% silver, but often desired by collectors unlike the "plain" Kennedy halve.

Interestly, when the government announced that coins would have less or no silver content, thousands of American quickly scooped up all the common coins, Roosevelt, Washington and Kennedy, and put them away. So they have less wear and retain most of the silver content.

New investors might want to limit their junk silver purchases to these coins as they are still common, have less numistatic interest and possibly have most of their silver content due to less circulation.

Junk Silver: US Silver Eagle vs Junk Silver

2010-09-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

Silver prices are going through the roof. Yesterday's price nearly touched $22 an ounce. That is leading many investors to consider purchasing silver to add to their portfolio.

For new investors, there are a number of options for first time silver investors - bullion, coins and junk silver.

Bullion is best described as silver ingots. Bars of silver minted and priced by weight.

Coins can be minted or common date, but let's consider coins to be government minted such as the US Silver Eagle. These are beautiful coins in one ounce denominations with a one dollar face value but are priced according to the latest spot silver prices.

Junk silver is common date US quarters, dimes and halves minted 1964 and earlier. Junk silver is priced by silver weight (90% of total weight) and listed as "face value". So ten dollars face value junk silver quarters would be 40 US quarters and priced at the 90% per ounce of the going spot silver price.

So which is preferrable? In my opinion, and I am not a professional investment councelor, but merely a collector, I would put my money on junk silver. Why?

- Junk silver has face value to the holder and the receiver. Everyone knows what a quarter or a dime is and what it is worth.

- Junk silver is portable. It is difficult to make change with a silver ingot.

- Junk silver is money even if silver prices drop. A junk silver quarter will always be worth twenty five cents at minimum.

- Junk silver will attract less attention. A Silver Eagle or bar might get the notice of the the wrong people; an old dime is an old dime.

- Junk silver is historic.

I love Silver Eagles. They are beautiful coins worthy of any investor or collector. Ingots are suitable for the safety deposit box or safe. But junk silver is my favorite for the practical and possibly, cash short investor, to get started with.

Junk Silver | Finding Silver In Coinstar Machines

2010-04-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned before one of the idiosyncrasies of Coinstar is the machines have the tendancy to reject junk silver coins. I have found pre 1965 dimes and quarters in the reject tray on more than one occasion. The secret I have learned is WHEN to search the Coinstar machine.

Sunday morning I went to the market to pick up a few things for breakfast. While shopping, I heard one of my favorite sounds in the world; someone emptying a container of coins into the Coinstar machine. It's magical because I know when they are done there is a very good chance they will leave something in the reject tray at the bottom of the machine.

However, it got better from there. Not only was one person swapping out their spare change in the Coinstar machine, but two more were waiting right behind him. I took a few minutes to observe the situation. All men, all on Sunday morning and all dumping their coins off that morning. It turns out this is a big day to get rid of all that change at Coinstar.

After the three had completed their transactions, had taken their slips to the customer service counter for redemption and had left the store, my son went and checked the tray. Sure enough he found an old nickel and a couple of foreign coins. No junk silver - this time - but there were more rejected coins in the tray than we normally find.

Maybe the busy day for Coinstar is different where you live. But Sundays will be the day I check out Coinstar near my home for the possibility of locatiing some easy junk silver coins.

Happy hunting!

Junk Silver: Kennedy Halves | Kennedy Half Dollar Coins

2010-02-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

Kennedy half dollar coins, Kennedy halves, are a common circulation coin which contain silver in a few certain years. Be on the lookout for these Kennedy junk silver coins for the silver content!

The Kennedy halve was introduced in the 1964, the year after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

What is the silver content of the Kennedy half dollar?

The 1964 version, like the quarter and dime of the same year, is 90% silver. These have .3617 troy ounce of real silver. At today's silver prices, that equates to $5.46 for a single fifty cent piece. Nice return. However, 1964 Kennedy halves are hard to find naturally.

Good news though. Kennedy halves minted from 1965 to 1970 are still 40% silver. That means the still have a value at today's rate of $2.23; not too shabby. And halves from this time period are actually quite common.

There are some simple ways to get Kennedy silver halves. You can buy them online or from a coin store. Or do what many junk silver hounds do. Purchase a few rolls or even a flat ($500.00) of silver halves from the bank. Sort through them and there's a good chance of finding at least a few 1968-1970 halves in there.

Either way, hang on to those Kennedy half dollars. Silver prices have soared the past two years and look to only go higher in the future.

Junk Silver: The Big Silver Secret

2009-10-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

Silver prices have been steadily climbing over the past decade but especially, the past year. Why?

Economically, the dollar is in trouble as are most stocks. The housing bubble brought about the largest loss of wealth since the Great Depression. IRA's, 401K's, mutual funds and stocks took a beating and lost billions of dollars. Then it got worse. The stock market lost 4000 points. Big name companies started closing their doors. The US watched ONE TRILLION dollars in accumulated wealth disappear seemingly overnight.

As the economy goes, so goes the value of the U.S. dollar. Considered the backbone of the world economy, the dollar was already beaten up, then the Federal Government started basically printing more of them to stave off larger economic problems such as propping up failing businesses and buying failed companies. The dollar grew weaker.

Now it gets more interesting. Silver, long used as the basis for real money, had been gradually adopted for industrial applications which resulted in most silver mined over the past 200 years converted to uses other than currency. This left a shortage of silver and the value, naturally has climbed.

Things developed into a perfect storm as investors wanted to move away from the dollar and found silver in short supply.

So can a savvy investor do?

First, as always, diversify. Next, they should consider adding junk silver to their portfolio. Junk silver means common date pre-1965 U.S. silver coins, namely, quarters, dimes and halves. There are still millions available, but many are now in investors hands and not available for sale.

A coin or jewelry exchange should have bags of junk silver dimes, quarters and halves available for sale. There are also reputable online retailers. An investment can be as simple as a roll of Mercury head dimes or a $1000.00 face value bag of quarters or halves.

Regardless of the type, junk silver coins are real money and becoming more rare every day. It might be worth your time to consider investing in junk silver today.

Junk Silver: Gold and Silver prices up

2009-10-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Gold prices have surged over the $1000.00 per ounce mark in international news. Expect to see more Cash 4 Gold commercials on TV anytime now. But with the good news for gold, we have similar good news for silver.

A little over a year ago, silver was sitting around $9.00 an ounce. Today, it is nearly double that price at $17.10 the last time I checked. That was a great investment if you purchased silver bullion, rounds or my personal favorite, junk silver. Junk silver is anything but junk. As you know, those are pre-1965 U.S. quarters, dimes and halves which contain 90% real silver content.

Where can one get their hands on some junk silver right now? Your best bet will be the local coin shop, jewelry store or "gold and silver exchange" retail outlet in their town. The exchanges advertise heavily and usually feature gold, diamond and silver jewelry, used Rolex's, gold and silver bullion in small amounts and plenty of junk silver coins.

Generally, most exchange shops will buy silver coins for a price below premium or for "melt value". However, they often keep a stash of coins on hand for investors to purchase. A good starter investment for junk silver could be a single roll of dimes or quarters. Pick up a couple of dime rolls and keep them in a safe place at home (piggy bank is a bad idea). Make sure little hands and curious eyes don't find those junk silver coins as they are legal tender for candy, sodas and cigarettes and all too often find their way to the 7-11 and spent by mistake.

Gold is a great investment, but at $1K an ounce, is out of range of many of us. Junk silver is a low cost and safe way to invest in precious metals for anyone.

Junk Silver: Silver prices rising again

2009-06-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Silver prices are on the rise again making investments in junk silver a good option for the new silver investor.

Summer, 2008, silver rose to nearly $20.00 an ounce before sliding down to $9.00 in the fall. There was some indication that the economic problems with banks and housing may have precipitated the rise in precious metals like silver. However, as the political situation stabilized in the U.S. silver prices dropped.

Reality has set in; the financial situation, the falling value of the dollar and increased government deficit spending has renewed interest in silver and gold and the pricing shows it.

Kitco has spot silver just under $16.00 an ounce this morning. If prices go higher in the future, this might be a good time to invest in silver.

First time investors should consider the value of junk silver. Junk silver means pre-1964 U.S. common date coins such as quarters, halves and dimes. These coins contain 90% pure silver and what's more, they are commonly available to buyers.

Ebay, coin and specialty jewelry stores are good places to get junk silver. A good amount to start with is with a roll of Roosevelt or Mercury head dimes. Even if the price of silver drops to less than a dollar an ounce, dimes still have "face value". They are still worth ten cents and are legal tender for all purchases.

With an uncertain economy and a recession, it may be a good time to invest in precious metals - junk silver is a great way to start.

Junk Silver Dimes: Mercury Head Dime

2009-05-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Dimes are some of the most common junk silver coins available in random searches such as in pocket change, coin jars or piggy banks. The size of the dime has not changed in nearly a century and only the images have been redesigned twice during that time frame.

The Mercury Head Dime was minted from 1916 to 1945. It features the head of Mercury, a Roman god most commonly associated with floral delivery these days, while the reverse features a fasces, an ax surrounded by bundle of sticks and an olive vine.

While there are a few rare numismatic years, such as 1921, for the Mercury head dime, most years are considered common and collectors rarely have a hard time completing a set for each year the Mercury was minted.

What is more interesting to precious metal investors is that the Mercury head dime is 90% pure silver (the other 10% is copper). Investors like the Mercury dime because it is small and makes a highly portable form of silver wealth.

The Mercury head dime was replaced in 1945 with the Roosevelt dime which it remains to this day. Roosevelt dimes minted until 1964 are also 90% pure silver.

Junk Silver: Which U.S. coins contain silver?

2009-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Quick rundown for those new to collecting silver. Many are starting to look into their pocket change, change jars, piggy banks and purses for U.S. coins which contain real silver. Or maybe they have heard the term "junk silver" and want to know what it is all about.

Junk silver is used to describe older U.S. minted coins (and some Canadian) which contain a majority or percentage of their composition in silver. Many may not realize it, but today's coins are minted of copper, zinc and nickel. None minted today contain any precious metals like gold or silver.

What may be more surprising to many in the U.S. is that none of the money in circulation is backed by precious metals at all. Some still believe that United States currency is backed by gold in Fort Knox and other banks and while that may have been true many years ago, it is not the case today.

The United States stopped minting majority silver coins (90% in silver weight) after 1964. Often you will hear junk silver referred to as "pre-1964" which means it was minted that year and earlier. These coins have real silver value.

The United States minted coins in several denominations since its origins as a country. While many coins were minted for a short period of time, were odd denominations or had staggered intervals of acceptance, the U.S. minted several well known coins for many years.

If some older silver coins are in your possession, it might do you well to know what to look for.

Silver dollars; dollar coin - the U.S. had silver dollars only until 1921. After that, there were a few odd silver dollar coins until the Eisenhower coin was minted in the late sixties. The Eisenhower did have a brief run with 40% silver content.

Half dollars; fifty cent pieces, halves - the most popular junk silver coin in recent times. Found in the Franklin and Kennedy version, the half dollar has 90% real silver content. Only the 1964 Kennedy has 90% silver. 1965 to 1968 contain 40% silver content. Franklins used to be very common but are now rarely if ever seen in day to day transactions.

Quarter; quarter dollars; twenty five cent pieces; two bits - The Washington quarter has been minted in its current state since the 1920's. They are every bit as common as any other coin. All pre-1964 Washington quarters are 90% silver. Post-1964 quarters have only a trace amount of silver.

Dime; dimes; ten cent pieces - The dime, both the Roosevelt and earlier Mercury dime, contain 90% silver in pre-1964 years. The dimes are often found in change as they are nearly identical to the current dime minted post-1964. Junk silver dimes are a great find.

Other coins, nickels and pennies contain no silver with the exception of the "War Nickel". Minted during World War Two, these nickels contain 40% silver and can be found from time to time.

Anyone may have a hoard of junk silver coins waiting in their coin jar or ash tray at home. With silver constantly trading in the $10 to 12.00 range, it is worth your time to find some junk silver today.

Junk Silver: The incredible value of junk silver

2009-02-11T14:28:00.001-08:00

Unlike "silver rounds" or even gold bars and bullion, junk silver has an advantage to the investor in these trying times.

Most precious metal investments are comprised of bars or coins. Bars are found in weights such as one, five or ten ounces. The bar is merely an acceptable means of trade and transport of gold or silver bullion.

The coins are usually a special pressing or mold with artistic or historical value for instance, to commemorate a person or event. You see these frequently advertised in magazines or on late night television.

The problem with precious metals in bar or coins is that their value is determined by the market rate for the metal at the time and that the buyer and seller agree upon their value. An educated consumer and merchant are required to give the bullion value.

Junk silver has both bar and coin beaten with one simple fact; junk silver comes in a face value coin which can be used for daily transactions at nearly any retail outlet.

Even if silver drops to a dollar an ounce, a 1964 dime will still be worth ten cents. A 1943 Washington quarter will still be worth twenty five cents and so forth.

A junk silver bag of quarters with a face value of $1000.00 will contain 4000 quarters. While the price of the bag may vary between 9 and 12,000.00 over the past couple of months due to the price of silver, the face value of each of those 4000 quarters is still twenty five cents.

This is a hard to beat fact about junk silver that other forms of precious metals are hard to beat. Junk silver keeps a value no matter what the silver market is running at the time.

And that is another reason junk silver is such a great investment.

Junk Silver Quarters

2009-01-26T09:58:00.001-08:00

This is a "junk silver" quarter. Hardly junk considering with current silver prices, this 90% silver content quarter is worth about a dollar.

The Washington quarter was minted between 1932 and the present with several changes. Most notably, was in 1965 when the coin went from 90% silver to zinc, copper and other base metals known then as the "Johnson Sandwich" for Lyndon Baines Johnson, then the president of the United States.

Prior to 1965, the Washington quarter contained silver and was minted in large numbers - as many as 704 million in 1964 alone.

Many silver coins including the Washington quarter were melted by the federal government in an effort to reclaim the silver. However, many are available if you look carefully.

- For instance, I found a 1946 Washington quarter in the change tray at a Coinstar machine a few months ago.
- My daughter found one in my change from a gasoline station last summer.
- I found another in a change jar recently.

Many are reporting receiving pre-1964 quarters as consumers empty their change jars for essentials like gas or food due to the economic problems in our country.

Keep your eyes out for one of these beautiful coins with a high value.

Junk Silver: Coinstar Find - 1964 Silver Dime

2009-01-22T21:26:00.000-08:00

My son, daughter and I went to the supermarket after basketball practice on Tuesday.

My son, always on the prowl for loose change, looks below the self checkout registers as I pay for my groceries. He usually comes up with a quarter, dime or penny for his troubles.

When we leave the supermarket, he always checks the Coinstar machine for change. There are a number of places to look as most people swapping their coins in are sloppy or in a hurry and overlook coins they may have dropped.

My son always checks the tray on top where people drop their coins in. Sometimes he finds an odd penny or two there.

He looks under the Coinstar machine, naturally, and is often rewarded with some coin or another.

But the best place to look is in the Coinstar return tray. Why?

Because rejected coins fall into the return tray and many times, the customer in a hurry leaves their rejects behind.

Certain coins are rejected by Coinstar machines such as dirty, damaged or sticky coins. Foreign coins. Silver and new "gold" dollars i.e. President coins.

And silver coins.

That's right, junk silver coins are rejected by Coinstar machines. I found a 1946 quarter in the reject tray a couple of months ago.

This time, my son found three foreign coins and lo and behold, a beautiful 1964 Eisenhower silver (90%) dime!

So the next time you stop off at the grocers, check out the Coinstar machine.. You never know what you might find!

Some great advice regarding junk silver

2009-01-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

I found another great website with practical advice regarding junk silver, not only as an investment, but as preparation for use as a currency when and if our current money loses its value.

First, our current money, the dollar, is backed by the full faith and trust WE have in the federal government. If you have lived here your entire life like I have, you know there have been several instances where trust in the government has been tested.

Further, our dollar is based upon nothing tangible; not gold, land, oil or silver, nothing.

In short, we are indeed trusting that the federal government will make good on its promise that the dollar can be used, for all debts, public or private.

If you have concerns, consider silver as a safeguard in the event the dollar loses much of its value. For this particular purpose, junk silver is ideal.

Junk silver are U.S. coins, dimes, quarters and halves, minted before 1965, and which contain 90% real silver in their content.

Yes, there are silver dollars, but the U.S. ceased minting silver content dollars in 1921 and they are seldom available unless one purchases direct from a coin or jewelry store.

Junk silver has real value and is easily recognizable. While Walmart may not know their value, the merchant who survives a real economic meltdown will.

Read the article I mention here and let me know what you think.

Junk Silver Bags

2009-01-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

"I have been interested in buying some junk silver coins and keep hearing a term - junk silver bags. What does that mean?"

First junk silver is a great investment and hedge against inflation and the further eroding value of the dollar. Junk silver, pre-1965 U.S. silver coins, dimes, quarters and halves, represent a real investment in silver as they contain 90% silver by weight.

Although many silver investors purchase silver in small quantities, such as in rolls or loose, coin dealers prefer to deal in bags. A bag is described by its weight of the coins it contains.

For instance, a quarter pound bag contains a quarter of a pound of junk silver quarters, dimes, halves or a combination of the three. Now the weight is not the number of coins, but the weight of silver content. So a quarter pound bag actually weighs more than 4 ounces.

GovMint, our featured advertiser, sells quarter pound bags of junk silver for as little as $99.00 making it an affordable way to get into the precious metals investing game.

Bags can contain more than a quarter pound with popular sizes being quarter, half, full pound and larger sizes. After a certain limit however, it can become impractical to purchase larger bags, especially for transport.

Junk Silver: Pre-1964 coin value

2008-12-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

If you have some pre-1964 junk silver coins on hand and are curious as to their value, look no further than Coinflation for up to the minute pricing.

Coinflation has great tool which shows the coin, the face value, and the silver value of the coin.

For instance, a Mercury head dime, one of the most popular junk silver coins, has a 90% coin silver content. Coinflation shows that the Mercury has a face value of .10 and as of today, at $10.56 an ounce, has a silver coin value of .76.

Coinflation can be a great tool to use before buying junk silver online or at your coin or jewelery store as it will provide the current pricing of the coin. Remember to add a dealer premium to the sale - your retailer, both online and in person needs to make some profit on the deal.

Check out Coinflation here for more up to the minute junk silver pricing.

Junk Silver: Silver dollars

2008-12-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

Silver dollars have gone through quite an evolution the past 100 years.

Once upon a time ago, they were actually made from silver and were valued upon the going price of silver. So a silver dollar could change sizes based upon the market value.

That changed when Congress set fixed prices for precious metals and made the silver dollar a real piece of backed currency.

The current silver dollar has two problems; it is not silver in color and has no silver content. Dollar coins are actually clads (metal discs clad in some type of metal and made of other base materials).

Silver coins of any denomination containing a majority of silver, 90% silver content, were minted until 1964. After that date, all coins went to a fraction of silver and became known as clads.

The Susan B Anthony silver dollar replaced the Eisenhower dollar coin and had no silver content.

The Eisenhower silver dollar was minted in 1971 had none if any silver content.

The Eisenhower dollar coin was the first dollar coins since the Peace dollar coin. It was called the Peace dollar because the obverse featured the word PEACE on the bottom portion of the coin.

The Peace dollar ceased being minted in 1936 making it the last real silver dollar coin.

Earlier silver dollar coins include the Walking Liberty and Morgan. The Morgan still turns up in collections and can be purchased over the counter from most coin retailers.

Junk Silver Coins

2008-12-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

When investing in precious metals, we are often led to believe we are required to invest in gold bars or ingots.

However, there is a better and more affordable way to invest in silver - junk silver coins.

First, junk silver does not mean "worthless" in the sense of having no monetary value. Rather, junk silver coins have little numismatic value to coin collectors. However, junk silver coins are dimes, quarters, halves and dollars minted before 1965 which have 90% pure silver content.

Often you will see them listed as pre-1965, pre-1964, or common date silver U.S. coins.

Junk silver coins include the following:

Dimes - Roosevelt and Mercury head dimes minted before 1965

Quarters - Washington quarters minted in the same time frame, pre-1965..

Halves - While the 1964 Kennedy half contains 90% silver, the Franklin half, minted from 1948 t0 1963 is often more available because of the quantity minted during those years.

Dollars - There were only a limited number of Peace dollars minted in 1964 and those were not authorized into circulation. Eisenhower dollars were not released until 1971 and only a few contain 40% silver and the rest are clad. The only junk silver dollar coins are Peace and Morgan silver dollars.

Junk silver coins represent an easy way to invest in precious metals because they can be purchased one coin at a time, in rolls or in bags.

The cost of these coins is determined by the current rate silver is trading at plus a small premium for the dealer.

Buy Junk Silver

2008-12-08T06:10:00.001-08:00

The other day I posted about where to buy junk silver, today I wanted to mention why buy silver.

Buying junk silver is a wise investment for your portfolio, as a hedge against inflation and because of the uncertainty of our economy.

The dollar is rapidly diminishing in value and putting your money into tangibles has never been more popular.

Tangibles includes precious metals like junk silver.

Before you forget, junk silver is used to describe pre-1965 U.S. silver coins with little numismatic value, but which have 90% silver content. These coins include dimes, quarters, halves and silver dollars from this time period.

So again, why buy junk silver?

As the dollar erodes in value, what you purchased yesterday may cost a little bit more tomorrow. Silver is bargain priced right around $10.00 an ounce. Which makes buying junk silver inexpensive and a bargain.

Buy junk silver from your local coin or jewelry shop, pawn shop, online at Ebay or at reputable online coin and metal dealers.

Take the plunge an buy a roll of pre-1965 dimes, quarters or halves today and protect your hard earned money.

Junk Silver in your pocket

2008-12-07T13:48:00.001-08:00

Alert!

The recent economic downturn in the U.S. is indirectly effecting junk silver.

How?

With people struggling to pay bills and make ends meet, more and more are hitting the change jar, ashtray and piggy bank for cash.

Usually, this means grabbing a handful of quarters and either trading them in for dollar bills or using them for small purchases.

Regardless, those coin jars and piggy banks all to often contain junk silver - pre-1965 U.S. silver coins such as dimes, quarters and halves.

Shoppers are returning these long lost coins to circulation and making them available to you and me in our change!

How can you get some of these common date silver coins?

Shop with cash - when you shop with cash, you will naturally receive change back. Do not spend any of these coins until you have carefully screened them for junk silver coins.

Keep an eye out for coins in your family. Kids and the spouse may have a few coins and not ever know it!

Consider reviving the old practice of purchasing rolled quarters and dimes from the bank and checking for pre-1965 dates. Time consuming but well worth it.

A convenience store clerk in Michigan reported receiving two rolls of silver dimes from a cash strapped customer for gasoline. All of the dimes were pre-1965 Roosevelt and worth more than the $20.00 face value of the rolls! Wow!

A young waitress in Rhode Island reported receiving a handful of coins for a tip from a customer. Discouraged at first, she noticed a quarter in the tip looked "funny" in her words. After taking it to a local coin shop, she received a total of $27.00 for all the coins in the tip. There was that much silver in those coins!

Keep an eye out in your pocket change as you may stumble across a quarter or dime worth far more than its face value.

Junk silver? Where can I get some?

2008-12-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Junk silver.

With a name like that, why bother having any, right?

Wrong.

Junk silver, also called common date silver, refers to U.S. coins minted before 1965 and includes dimes, quarters, halves and silver dollars.

History of junk silver

When silver was removed from U.S. coins after 1964, most of the coins with 90% silver content were allowed to stay in circulation. But in the years afterwards, the government made a concerted effort to collect and melt U.S. silver coins.

With the banking system's cooperation, huge amounts of 90% silver quarters, dimes and halves were pulled from circulation, sent to government mints and melted to silver ingots and bars. These were stored or used for other purposes by the government.

However, because of the vast numbers of 90% silver coins already in circulation, naturally millions of silver dimes, quarters and halves remained in cash registers, piggy banks and coin trays across the country.

Collectors began searching for junk silver coins in the early 1970's. Although these common coins had little numismatic value, they had tremendous potential value as the silver was a hedge against inflation and the devaluation of U.S. dollar at the time.

The common method then and which continued to this day was to purchase rolls of quarters and dimes from the bank, search each coin, save the pre-1965 coins and return the rest to the bank. Then the process would start all over again.

Until the 1980's, this generally proved a worthwhile pastime. However, as collectors and the government pulled more coins out of circulation, this method of searching for junk silver became tiresome and fruitless.

Today's collector of junk silver is more likely to do the following to obtain a supply of common date dimes or quarters.

Coin shops
Many coins shops have junk silver in bags, boxes or shrink wrap available for market price plus premium.

Gold and silver exchanges
A popular type retail store specializing in the buying and selling of gold, silver and precious stones.

Pawn shops
Although the stock may sometimes be available, the pricing may not be accurate. Shop carefully.

Ebay
The popular online auction site hosts several sales of junk silver coins, sometimes in lots and others in small amounts like rolls or a few coins.

Online coin dealers
One of the best and most reputable ways to buy junk silver for current prices and in guaranteed amounts and quantities.

With silver at record price right now and with the economic uncertainty in the U.S., buying some junk silver may not only be an interesting purchase, but a smart investment as well.