Every so often I search all of my local coin shops for older silver bullion, usually finding some good pieces only every so often. Today was the exception. I found a 150th anniversary Texas Rangers bar with some of the most beautiful, uniform toning that I ever seen on a bar. (the pic hardly does it justice) The "plucked taxpayer" round, (seems to be a lot of those these days) a 1973 Thanksgiving bar that I never saw before from the Double Mc Mint, (maybe silver art can help me on that one :thumb a Nolan Ryan 5000 strikeouts round, a cable car bar (powell & mason street) from the Patrick mint, and a "California 500" bar from a Swiss company. Anybody else picking up anything that`s been coming out of hiding, due to the rise of silver?
I`m surprised that I even found that round in person. I found it on River City coins` site a while back, but someone had already purchased it. Maybe ebay would have one though. Oh and btw....Welcome to Coin Talk, it`s good having You on these forums.
That is good that you are able to pick up older silver art bars and rounds at the local coin shop. That is what I have been doing for the last 2 years and I find some rare and interesting '70's silver art bar finds there at a decent premium over spot. You never know what you will find when you go to the coin shop. The 1973 "Texas Rangers" silver art bar was minted by the Patrick Mint (Barry Hepsley). According to the 4th edition of Archie Kidd's guidebook called "An Indexed Guide Book of Silver Art Bars", Barry Hepsley designed the "Texas Tangers" theme on that Texas Rangers silver art bar when he worked at the Patrick Mint. The "Cable Car" silver art bar was also minted by the Patrick Mint in 1973 but I do not think that it was by Barry Hepsley. I did not see that mentioned in the price guide. The "California 500" silver art bar was minted in Switzerland in 1973. I do not know the exact name of the Switzerland mint that made it but the silver art bar price guide just mentions that it was made in Switzerland. I am also not sure about who minted the silver art rounds pictured but the Noland Ryan and other sports oriented silver art rounds that I have seen with the same format appear to be minted by the same mint since it appears that the Nolan Ryan art round has a serial number on it. I have seen several Thanksgiving rounds at the local shop and at coin shows but I do not think that I have seen a Thanksgiving art bar such as the one show in the picture. I also have a Thanksgiving silver art bar but the one that I have was minted by the Madison Mint in 1974.
