I recently received some 90% junk silver coins from MintProducts.com. All of the dates fell into the pre-1964 period when 90% silver was available, with one exception that I am really curious about. It is a proof 2005 s dime, with a few very minor scratches, etc., from being in a bag (which make it no longer a 'proof,' but that's clearly how it started out). My question: Is there any way this is 90% silver? It does not have the sandwiched edge appearance of non-silver coins ... ?? Thanks- Bill
It is still classified as a proof coin even though it has been scratched. A proof is always a proof. It was a specially polished planchet made with a specially polished die. It likely came from a silver proof set. If there's no copper edge showing, it's silver. I
Also, while most Proofs are in the 60-70 range, you can find some proofs that grade 59 and below. For example, the Adams-Carter 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar, PCGS PF-58. http://www.coinfacts.com/silver_dollars/1804_dollars/1804_Draped_Bust_Silver_Dollar.htm
There are silver proof dies, as I think you know and even if that are circulated they are still proof. As a rule they don't have much value, but they are fun to own and I wouldn't spend it Ruben
Can anyone say "MARKET GRADING" ?? [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Adams-Carter Class III dollar, graded "extremely fine" by Eric P. Newman and Kenneth E. Bressett, "EF, cleaned" by Walter Breen, "EF-45, cleaned" by Q. David Bowers, Proof-45 by PCGS, Proof-50 by NGC, and most recently Proof-58 by PCGS[/FONT] Jim
It depends. In 1966, the DJIA broke 1,000 for the first time. Now it is 8,000 plus or minus. The ASE's I purchased for $5 each about 5 years ago could easily be sold for double the price even if I allowed myself to get ripped off. That's a pretty competitive performance. I know all the stories about people buying silver at $50 and gold at $800 back in 1980. I also know the stories about people buying NASDAQ stocks when the average was 5000, or Dow stocks more recently at 14000. This doesn't prove anything except that there are no absolutes in this world. Everything is good sometimes and bad at other times, including coins.
everyone can be lucky, or unlucky... but the fact is clear that over time, coins underperform almost all other investment vehicles, therefore my comment and Ruben... maybe I did have too much coffee... well tea (I don't drink coffee!)!!! and as for hindsight, I would have loved to buy $1000 in the Yahoo! IPO... wouldn't everyone?
Use of the word "fact" just isn't factual. But it's been repeated so often that folks start to believe it. It took no special ability to save a few $20 gold coins when they were available at $20, or silver coins from the 60s when they were worth face value, or silver dollars when they were worth a dollar. I think where the "coins aren't a good investment" mantra came from is the observation that avid collectors typically overpay for coins they must have for their collections, and justify the overpayment using recent auction results or greysheets or any other info available at the time to prove to them that everybody is doing it so it must be right. I agree that overpaying turns collecting into a perpetual hobby by ensuring that no money will be made. But the same is true of overpaying for every other asset class. There just isn't any difference. Anyway, that's enough on that subject. I just want to make sure both sides are presented.
