For the small time investor, looking for something secure in today’s troubled economy to guarantee your principal let alone show some return on your investment is quite difficult. Furthermore the thought of investing in companies that may not be around a year from now is certainly something on many people’s mind. Silver coins are an option to consider. One of the favorite silver coins for American investors is the Walking Liberty Half Dollar.
The Half dollar was minted from 1916 until 1947 and is considered the second most popular silver coin ever minted by the U.S. Mint. At the time of writing a circulated fifty piece will typically sell for $6.5 dollars. This is a modest investment and something quite affordable for almost anyone. The Walking Liberty Half Dollar is second only to the Morgan Dollar in terms of popularity. Like all U.S. minted silver coins, these half dollars were minted with a composition of 90% silver and 10% copper.
The total amount of silver content was 0.36169 oz there this is a little diminishment in weight because of wear depending on the extent of circulation. An important fact to remember is that all pre-1965 half dollars including the Walking Liberty coin typically carry higher premiums sammlermuenzen bestellen than dimes and quarters. This is due to the fact that these typically have suffered less wear than dimes and quarters.
Consequently, fifty cent pieces will yield a more ounces when smelted. When silver prices are low a few additional ounces may not be of much consequence, but, as silver prices rise significantly as they are now, the additional ounces become more important financially speaking.
What makes it a Coin Instead of a Round?
Many coin collectors only collect coins. Rounds and bars are simply not acceptable to them. So what makes a round or bar shaped piece of metal a legitimate coin?
Generally, coins are legal tender made by, or on behalf of, a legitimate nation, and bear a denomination of that government’s currency that is legal tender. Anyone can make a round, but only a nation can authorize the production of a coin. This would seem to imply that if the piece of metal has a country’s name on it, and is stamped with a denomination of that country’s currency, it must be a coin. Unfortunately, it is much more complex than that.
Collector coins are important to many small countries’ economies. Coins are produced for many small nations by major mints. The Perth Mint makes coins for Tuvalu and the Cook Islands. The New Zealand makes coins for a myriad of small nations, including some for the Cook Islands. These are collector coins, often colorized, housed in cases, and accompanied by certificates of authenticity. A multitude of coins are made for each such nation, and mintages are often low to insure a high demand. This translates into high prices. Remember, the mint also makes money from these coins.
The Pride of Ownership in a Collector Series of Proof Platinum Eagles
Coin collecting is not always a form of investment. For some individuals coin collecting is a hobby but definitely an expensive one. Many coin collections have been passed through several generations and their value has become quite considerable. As most often the case, coin collectors always look forward to auction sales where some coins are made available for the public. These coins are often part of a collection but the owners prefer to liquidate it due to financial constraints. Other coins are released annually as a proof version of a coin like Proof Platinum Eagles, the official bullion coin of the US that is expected to appreciate due to its limited mintage.
Online sites are also good sources of collector series that can be added to complete a coin collection. Every year the United States Mint releases sets of the proofs of coins released for that year like Proof Platinum Eagles. You can directly buy current-year sets of the coins from the US Mint however, if you want to complete a collector series, you will need to buy the previous coins released from other coin collectors or coin dealers. However, the US Mint only releases limited mintages of Proof Platinum Eagles with the prices varying constantly depending upon the current price of platinum. You can certainly expect periodic changes as the prices of platinum are fluctuating. The proof coin is one of the most expensive coins offered by US Mint and you can definitely expect a price increase which makes it an ideal investment for a collector series.
