Author: Allen Rowe

In numismatics an area that is often collected by advanced collectors and specialists is pattern coins. Patterns are trial strikes of coins being proposed. These coins are usually struck in very limited numbers and very often...

At first the internet auctions were a tough place to sell coins as there were very few bidders. Then a tidal wave ensued and the number of people buying and selling online flooded in. Just as a tidal wave is indiscriminate, so was this new phenomenon. Not only did it sweep in good buyers and sellers, but also an ever growing unethical element. Online auctions have morphed into not only a new selling ground, but also the devils playground for those looking to make a quick buck.

In the world of numismatics there are a few factors that help decide the value of a coin. The date and mint mark determine how many were made and the rarity factor, but the grade or condition could be considered the most important. Modern coin grading is based on a 70 point scale, 1 being the lowest and 70 being the highest. In many cases one point higher in grading can increase a coins price by multiples.

Carson City dollars have long been coveted by collectors for their rarity and allure. When the U.S. Government took us off of the silver standard in the 1960’s there was a window in which you could redeem your paper for the silver in the treasury department. Much of this silver was in the form of silver dollars. Eventually the redemption time was up. But the government was then left with a new and interesting problem, it still had silver dollars left in the vaults and to top it off many of those coins were Carson City dollars. Melting the remaining coins would have been a tragedy. Instead the Government Services Administration (GSA for short) was given the task of packaging these coins for sale to the general public.

This week we will look at how to buy silver with a focus on the physical products available. Just as in gold there are funds that are based on silver. Buying in the stock market offers speed and accuracy but lacks the actual...

Silver certificates were a standard currency in our country for nearly 100 years. From their inception in 1878 till their final printing in 1963 (series of 1957), silver certificates were designed to be backed by the value of actual silver. With silver on the rise in the 1960’s the actual value of a silver dollar was becoming more than the face value of a one dollar note forcing the U.S. to quit printing them.