So I went to the bank today, the teller knows I am a coin collector, so he told me he just got 10 Ike Dollars in. I of course bought them My Question is, How do I know if any of them are silver? And if they are not are not are they worth keeping??
Best way is to check the edge... If you see a copper layer, well then you have a Cu/Ni clad Ike... Ike's are typically worth 1.5-2.0 times there face value in good condition. '73 are worth much more, maybe five bucks... Ike's where never issued in silver for cirulation, only 40% came in Proof or mint sets... Silver Ike's have about 10 bucks of silver in them... Weather to keep them is up to you? I have about a hundred cirulated Ike's cause I love the history, and I liked Eisenhower... "I LIKE IKE"
I buy all the Ikes I can from the local bank... put 'em in a 2x2 and sell them at the local flea market for $2 each. I usually sells about twenty at a time. It amazes me that most people have never seen an Ike, and most don't realize they could get them at face from any bank (as long as they have them). I remember watching the '52 Republican convention on TV, and:
I like Ike dollar coins as well and pick them up whenever I can. I usually pay less than $2 each, though I have found a coin shop locally that sells them at $1.15, which is a deal. Haven't found any at banks though.
All 71-S and 72-S Ikes are 40% silver. All Unc 73-S and 74-S Ikes are 40% silver All Unc 76-S Ikes are silver. Some of the 73, 74, and 76 proof Ikes are 40% silver.
Just remember the odds of finding a Silver Ike in circulation is zero and none, but you never know? I'm sure every once and a while a child might cash in his Christmas present not knowing it's real value... I remember drinking some super rare unopened coke-a-cola when I was a kid! LOL It had been tempting me for years!!! ...and it was good - BTW!
I hear tell that some Ike varieties can be worth some $$, but I don't know enough about them to say which ones.
I have an unopened bottle of Coke from the opening of the first McDonald's in Des Plaines, IL. The idea of drinking it does get tempting.
They are just an overall weird coin, and you can see why they didn't last too long. I do like them however, and maybe I will keep all 30 of them. I did check the edge non of them appear to be silver and most have a P mint mark. Seemingly common dates just wish I had a list like this: http://coins.about.com/library/coin_values/bl_wheat_cents.htm
Check any of them for a 1972-P Type 2. Those tend to be the middle ground of rarity vs value. There are some pretty rare double dies, but they're so rare it's not even worth checking, however the 72 T2 you actually have a chance... Can be worth anywhere from 40 to 400 just depends on the condition.... http://www.supercoin.com/iketypes/ Hey since you have a couple dozen there why don't you pick up a Dansco and get a full set going. Ebay is full of proofs and B.U. to help you compete the book. Give it a go tlasch... I even used the empty spaces at the end of the book to fill with '72 type 1, 2 and 3... http://www.danscoalbumstore.com/eisenhower-dollars-including-proofs-dansco-album-8176-p-2052.html BTW: There are 32 Eisenhower varities in total by year, mint mark, and type...
Every couple of weeks or so I do a bank run, that is I hit up as many banks as I can in a specific area and try and get halves. I would say about a quarter of the banks I go to have some Ike's laying around. I have never gotten a silver one but I am hoping. Alot of the banks try and pawn the dollar coins off on me. I keep a half in my pocket to show them an example of what I want.
