My favorite 1970's silver art bar "finds"

Based on the last 1974 ISIC "Streak With Silver" silver art bar auction that have seen on ebay and current spot silver, this bar will still get an ebay winning bid that is 2X (or more) spot.

You are right in that the Normark Mint Gasparilla silver art bars (1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977) are hard to find. The individual bars are hard to find but the complete set with original box and COA is even harder to find. For each bar in that set, the mintages are 1500 (1974 Gasparilla bar), 500 (1975 Gasparilla bar), and 400 (1976 & 1977 Gasparilla bars) according to the 4th edition Archie Kidd silver art bar guidebook. Those Gasparilla bars usually fetch a very good winning bid based on what I have seen on ebay in the past but I do not see those type of bars very often on ebay.

 

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Most of the 70's bars that I bought in the
70's were from SilverTown-$5 each plus 50c
postage. My how things have changed.

That Watergate Bug was the first numismatic
item I ever bought.

 

I don't remember what the dates were for the Gasprailla
bars. But they were fetching a good price just a day after
the auction began-Around $75. And there were three dealers
that I called the Three Amigos. Where you found one of
them selling you found the other two bidding. LOL. I remember
that was the case in one of Gasprailla auctions. I'd bet a '77
Woud get $200 or more on Ebay today.

 

It has been a while ago since I have seen a Gasparilla bar of any year on ebay but that bid you mentioned sounds about right because those seem to get big premiums there. I have only seen one complete set in original boxes with COAs on ebay but I forgot what the BIN price was on it.

 

I started collecting silver art bars about 4 years ago by buying some common-minted ones (such as Hamilton Mint, Madison, and Holiday-themed bars). When silver reached the upper $40's level in early 2011, I sold most of those type of common-minted silver art bars to a local dealer and used the profit to buy the rare '70's silver art bars that I always wanted to add to my collection. I currently concentrate on the rare bars such as Greathouse, Green Country, The Mint, World Wide Mint Coca-Cola and other rare bars that are very hard to find because those are the ones that I like the most. I like the sports-themed silver art bars (such as the enameled ones from The Mint) the most because I like watching sports on TV. I still will buy some common-minted silver art bars that I like very much but I am a lot more picky now than I was 4 years ago.

 

I've been thinking about getting back into 70's bars again.
I stopped buying when silver passed $11. Sellers I had been
buying from went from $2 shipping to $6 with no change in
postal rates. I emailed them and asked why and they never answered
So I returned the favor. But even with higher silver prices.
I think 70's bars will only get scarcer through loses. Have you
noticed how many of those bars are still in their PVC pouches?

 

I am always looking for and buying '70's silver art bars but I concentrate on finding the rare ones. I do not buy much because I am very picky on what I want to buy.

I do still see some of the bars in their PVC pouches and they are still in very good shape. The only toning on it is on the top corners where it was exposed to the air while in those pouches. Sometimes I will take the silver art bar out of the pouch and put it in either an album or an airtite. There are other times where I will just leave it in the pouch that it came in. It depends on the silver art bar.

 

I used to cut a Mylar flip into two pieces. Then cut half a
inch off the width of one and slide the bar into it sideways
and upside down. Then I would put it upside down and
into the top of the other half of the flip which then shows right
side up. LOL. I live in high temp high humidity state. I can't
take the chance on those pouches leeching.

 

I also live in a high humidity state and most of my rare bars are in airtites to keep preserve the current condition. The ones that I still have in the pouches are still in good shape with no change in the appearance. It is not perfect but it is good enough for me and I like looking at them.

 

Hi there! I am new to the forum and after browsing your posts, just wanted to share my 70's silver bar collection (mostly '70-'75). I'm attaching some pics. Just curious what people think about them and if there are any that stand out. I'm in the Charlotte, NC area, but most of these were purchased back in the 70's in Ohio and Western PA.

 

Here's some additional loose ones and some silver coins... View attachment 203437

 

Well it looks likes a good size collection. I use
a mobile so it's hard see what you have.
I do reconize a couple of Prospector
rounds. Be careful with those. There's
been a few counterfeits that turned up
at a show recently.

 

Thanks, how do I identify fakes? My Grandfather bought all of these back in the 70's/80's before he passed in early 90's. Is it likely the counterfeits were made more recently?

Thanks
Bill P

 

Yeah I think these are pretty recent.

 

http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=25621

 

Good information!! I appreciate it!
Bill P

 

There are some that stand out to me. The first one that stands out to me is the 1973 "Save the Grizzly" silver art bar that was minted by United States silver corporation. 999 of these were minted. I have seen ebay winning bid and BIN sale prices range from $40 to as much as nearly $100. That is a good find IMO.

The second bar that stands out to me is the "3rd Party Movement" bar that was minted in 1975 by the United States Silver Corporation (USSC).

The third bar that stands out to me is the 1973 USSC "Women's Liberaton" bar because of the theme.

Congrats on those 3 significant '70's silver art bar finds. Those are very good finds in my opinion.

Most of the bars that I see in the pictures that you provided are fairly common. Holiday-themed silver art bars are very common as well as silver art bars that were minted in the '70's by Madison Mint, Mother-Lode Mint, and Hamilton Mint. On average common-minted silver art bars will sell on ebay for premiums between $5 to $10 over spot silver price.

 

Thanks for pointing on the potentially more valuable ones! Good to hear the "Grizzly" one is a little more rare, as I have (2) of them!! All were left to me, so I didn't really "find" them, but just trying to learn a little more about them.

Thanks again!
Bill P

 

Just found this thread! This one arrived today.

 

That "Huntsville Cola Clan" silver art bar is a very good Coca-Cola find IMO. The mintage for that one is 893 and it is one of several hard-to-find Coca-Cola silver art bars. I have seen prices on ebay (winning bid prices and BIN sale prices) range anywhere between $56 and $155.