hey, i like to buy old silver coins. i'm not sure whether to invest in Washingtons, barbers or SLQ's. barbers are priced higher than their actual silver weight and Washingtons are priced closer to their silver weight. also, i like to get dimes as well. i mostly like the lower grade mercurys because their closer to their silver weight. and i only can find average grade rosies, but they are close to their silver weight so what should i do?
It's really a matter of if you are just trying to put together a bullion valued set, or a collectable set. Barbers in ef or better can get pricey, and of course so can SLQ's. Roosevelts can be had in BU raw condition for not much over silver value.
Do you want to collect for the aesthetic beauty of a well matched set, possibly in higher grades? Or do you want to accumulate silver coins for their bullion melt value? These two goals are somewhat at odds. If your intent is to pursue the former, then I would recommend SLQs or Barbers. Putting together a nice set in either of those series, most coins will run you well above melt, even in grades as low as fine. But the challenge of building the set is greater. Many collectors derive pleasure from this aspect of the hobby. If your intent is to accumulate as much silver as possible, then go with the Washington Quajters or Roosevelt Dimes. In lower grades your getting many of those coins very close to melt prices, and you can still fill a lot of holes in an album. You'll pay a premium for the keys, but I would guess you can probably fill 80% or better of the albums for both those series at close to melt especially in circulated grades.
