I have some Canadian coins that I dont want. Next time I make a run to town I was thinking about taking them to the dealer for silver value. The question is, do the Canadian coins have the same silver content as U.S. coins?
I think they switched in 1968. But be careful. My recollection is that some 1968s were silver and some were nickel. [this could be wrong] I don't know if there are any design differences to separate the two.
I forgot to ask the important question... Does anyone know of any reliable Canadian coin dealers where some of the older silver dollars can be purchased?
Have you thought of selling them to collectors or are they in that bad of condition. maybe put one up in the contest forum (im on a lucky roll ) Depends on where you are.
For 25c pieces, the Mint stopped using silver in 1969. 77,464,000 pieces of the 1968 quarter were minted in 50% Ag. 88,686931 were in 100% nickel. Between 1920-1967 Ag content was 80%. Prior to 1920 the Ag content was 92.5%. For 10c pieces, the Mint also stopped using silver in 1969. 32,309,135 pieces of the 1967 dime were minted in 80% Ag/20% Cu. 30,689,080 pieces were 50% Ag/50% Cu. There is no way to tell them apart other than melting it down or weight it with a very precise instrument. 70,460,000 pieces of 1968 dime were minted in 50% silver. The other 17 million + pieces were in 100% Ni. Similarly, between 1920-1967 Ag content was 80%. Prior to 1920 the Ag content was 92.5%. You can usually tell silver coins from nickel ones by the shininess. Also try using a magnet to see if the coin is attracted. Silver coins are not magnetic. Use a soft material to shield the coin from the magnet to prevent scratching, though. The RCM regularly releases silver numismatic coins. They are probably too beautiful for you to sell as bullion though.
Actually, with these particular coins you can use a magnet to tell the difference. The nickel coins are attracted to a magnet, the silver ones are not. On the 1968 dimes, there are silver dimes from Ottawa and nickle dimes from Ottawa. There are also nickle dimes minted in Philidelphia. The only way to tell the differerence between Ottawa and PHilidelphia is on the reading. You have to pick up a copy of a coin book to see the difference and then get a magnifying glass and look at the coins.
I've never seen a Canadian coin book for sale, I looked online can't find anything either. I only have 78 C. coins probably not worth buying a book anyway. Spoke to the local dealer, he pays 50% over face for canadian dimes..... Just looked thru a box at home and found 1910,1917,-1 cents, some good looking nickles from the 20's and 30's, dimes from the 40's ,50's and a 1950 quarter., they all look decent, especially the cents and nickles. Maybe I better not be so hasty.
Here is a link for Charlton Standard Catalogue "Canadian Coins" at Amazon it is one of best books for Canadian Coins http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...104-2831012-5455964?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Krause Publications also puts out "2005 North American Coins & Prices" which contains information about coins from Canada and Mexico as well as the US. But Charlton is probably more comprehensive. However, it seems very difficult to purchase Canadian coins if you don't happen to live near the border. I haven't been able to locate even one Canadian coin internet dealer, no less verify that they are worth doing business with.
You can pick up a Krause Std cataloge of world coins at the library. Its worth the time just to learn some info about the coins. Its a pretty interesting reference book. My library lets me check them out for 30 days at a time. I a two year old version on half.com for less than $20. If I need anything more recent I go to the library and get the most recent version. I also use the library for the 1801-1900 version. Considering there is 100+ years of coins in the book, I can deal with a version that is missing 2 years.
Here is the internet dealer that I like. www.colonialacres.com ,they also have an ebay store ( who doesn't) Bill
