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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Sallent, post: 2670134, member: 76194&quot;]I only collect ancient silver, and the occasional high quality billon coin with a decent amount of silver in it. After 103 ancient and medieval silver and billon coins, here&#039;s the downside to silver.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. 3rd Century Roman silver is somewhat debased, and while the risk of bronze decease is less than on a bronze coin, there is still a chance that it could happen due to the large base metal content. Same applies to billon coins. <b>In other words, you should still inspect these coins once in a while just in case.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>2. Silver has other issues bronze may not have. Crystalization of the silver and porosity come to mind. While bronze may pit due to corrosion underground, silver can literally turn into glass-like state (especially the inside of the coin). While this is mostly not an aesthetic issue, it can be an issue if you mishandle the coin or drop it...causing it to chatter like glass. Another condition, porosity, can also make silver quite brittle. None of that should be much of a problem if you handle your coins carefully and always over a soft surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Not always, but in many cases silver is much more expensive. There are tons of LRB coins and even earlier provincial coins for 30 dollars or less. You won&#039;t find much of anything in silver at those prices, and in most cases it is an added expense to your hobby to go exclusively silver.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. You are missing out on 2/3 or more of the ancient coins ever made. You won&#039;t believe how many times I regret my &quot;silver and billon only&quot; policy when I see some of the outstanding bronze pieces many of the members here have. There are tons of amazing bronze pieces out there you&#039;ll be passing on. <b>This is probably the main reason why I will be adding bronze coins to my collection before the year is out. </b>Silver is fun to collect, but it&#039;s too limiting.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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