Which of these silver choices is least worse for stacking?

[FormerTeller]

My half dollar boxes have been lacking for a while now. Still finding some silver now and then, but from time to time I've been having to supplement my silver addition with junk silver from the coin store. Recently I found that my LCS owner doesn't like Canadian silver, so much so that he sells it for under spot. So I've been buying up 80% for less than melt whenever the opportunity has presented itself. I've steered clear of the 50% silver, as well as coins from 1967 when you can't really tell whether they're 50% or 80%.

This got me to thinking: between 35% silver war nickels, 40% silver half dollars, and 50% and 80% silver Canadian coins, which is the most desirable (for future resale purposes)? Perhaps a better way of asking it would be which is least undesirable, as I've seen that none of these coins seem particularly desirable in bulk. However, the Canadian silver is the only one I've seen offered for less than melt, which is surprising to me since it has a pretty high silver composition.

Does anyone have any experience selling any of these? Any thoughts on whether I should keep snapping up the 80% when it's offered under spot?

 

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[port ewen ace]

remember the exchange rate on US vs Canada, a Canada $ is worth aboooooot seventy some cents US. not many buyers of Canada coins in any of the FIFTY SEVEN States

 

[TheMastermind]

Canadian silver doesn't move for me, but I don't have very much so that might be why.

I can always find a buyer for 40%ers. Always. So that'd be my pick for least undesirable.

I sell in lots of $250 face value and end up haggling between three or four guys for the best price every time. I post on Craigslist and do all the haggling through a burner e-mail account.

 

[Rosco53]

I think it depends on your market. Personally I'd be more inclined to purchase war nickels simply because of the history involved, versus random date coin #3 because its silver...

 

[LooseChange]

I'm with Rosco. I'd buy war nics at spot per ASW any day.

Not sure I would so readily jump on 40% Kennedy or run-of-the-mill Canadian. I'd take Canadian dollars or halves at spot though.

 

[smokeythecat]

I'd stay away from Canadian silvers. Thought about US dimes? They are more popular than either war nickels or 40% Kennedys around here.

 

[CJ9]

I think in general (taking away any numismatic interest), 90% silver has the most secondary market value relative to 40% or war nickels.

 

[Bad Karma]

Canadian silver doesn't move for me, but I don't have very much so that might be why.

I can always find a buyer for 40%ers. Always. So that'd be my pick for least undesirable.

I sell in lots of $250 face value and end up haggling between three or four guys for the best price every time. I post on Craigslist and do all the haggling through a burner e-mail account.

What kind of price (X FV) do you get for those 40% on Craigslist?


Thank you.

 

[EQ8]

IMHO, when the economy crashes, it would be wise to have LOTS of small denomination silver coins to do your bartering with.
I prefer silver dimes for this purpose, but war nickels will be popular when that happens too.
Stacking 1 or 5 or 10 ounce bars is nice, but who's going to give you change for that??
I'd prefer to buy a loaf of bread with a war nickel or dime than a 1 ounce bar or coin.
Add to that, US currency will NEVER be priced below face denomination regardless of silver price.
In the near term, also consider this for silver.
IF the price were to jump to, say, $100, the market would flood SO fast that it would be worth next to nothing VERY quickly.
Then it would talk a very long time to recover.
So when do you sell as it goes up?? $40?, &50? wait for $100
LOTS to consider when playing with "The Devil's Metal".
(There are many reasons it is called that.)
What IS "fact", is that silver was about $4 an ounce 20 years ago,
and now worth about $17.50, so again, IMHO it's a great investment for a younger person.

 

[TheMastermind]

What kind of price (X FV) do you get for those 40% on Craigslist?


Thank you.

Last time I sold 40%ers was December of 2017, and I realized $2.40/coin.

 

[LooseChange]

. . .
What IS "fact", is that silver was about $4 an ounce 20 years ago,
and now worth about $17.50, so again, IMHO it's a great investment for a younger person.

It is tricky valuing precious metals in fiat dollars. If you adjust for inflation, spot price for silver was $13.50 100 years ago in reference to 2020 dollars ($13.47 for Feb 1920). However, there were swings to $5 and $115 between then and now. https://www.macrotrends.net/1470/historical-silver-prices-100-year-chart

 

[bertmaster2000]

I’d buy 40% halves because locally I can quickly sell them for $2.50-$2.75 each.

 

[FormerTeller]

I'd stay away from Canadian silvers. Thought about US dimes? They are more popular than either war nickels or 40% Kennedys around here.

I can and do buy 90% silver. My point however was that I can buy Canadian silver for under spot. I cant find other forms of silver anywhere close to under spot.

I know that 40% silver halves, war nickels, and Canadian silver all have low premiums. My question was which has the lowest premium, and which of those three would be the best investment.

 

[CoinFetcher]

Canadian 80% silver has more of a market and with better premiums.

You can still get away with .800 and call it silver. 35 and 40 percent coinage is very low content, and you can’t make jewelry or other crafts with it the way you can 80% Canadian coin.

40% halves do have an advantage in a survival situation. They are 60% copper. You are stacking copper for free ( you pay the storage fees though. In this extreme situation, the cost of copper could be quite high, and worth the efforts to separate the metals.

Overall 80% Canadian imho is way more interesting than the other two options. Also, the ASW is Canadian silver coinage is easy to calculate! $1 Canadian equals .600 ozt silver. And it is Divided equally through the denominations, unlike the obtuse $1 American coin.

 

[Owassokie]

My half dollar boxes have been lacking for a while now. Still finding some silver now and then, but from time to time I've been having to supplement my silver addition with junk silver from the coin store. Recently I found that my LCS owner doesn't like Canadian silver, so much so that he sells it for under spot. So I've been buying up 80% for less than melt whenever the opportunity has presented itself. I've steered clear of the 50% silver, as well as coins from 1967 when you can't really tell whether they're 50% or 80%.

This got me to thinking: between 35% silver war nickels, 40% silver half dollars, and 50% and 80% silver Canadian coins, which is the most desirable (for future resale purposes)? Perhaps a better way of asking it would be which is least undesirable, as I've seen that none of these coins seem particularly desirable in bulk. However, the Canadian silver is the only one I've seen offered for less than melt, which is surprising to me since it has a pretty high silver composition.

Does anyone have any experience selling any of these? Any thoughts on whether I should keep snapping up the 80% when it's offered under spot?

I've said in the past that at some point, the copper content could be a factor in valuing low silver content coins like 40% halves. I still believe it but we may be a few decades away. It's something to consider.

 

[ArkieBassMan]

My half dollar boxes have been lacking for a while now. Still finding some silver now and then, but from time to time I've been having to supplement my silver addition with junk silver from the coin store. Recently I found that my LCS owner doesn't like Canadian silver, so much so that he sells it for under spot. So I've been buying up 80% for less than melt whenever the opportunity has presented itself. I've steered clear of the 50% silver, as well as coins from 1967 when you can't really tell whether they're 50% or 80%.

This got me to thinking: between 35% silver war nickels, 40% silver half dollars, and 50% and 80% silver Canadian coins, which is the most desirable (for future resale purposes)? Perhaps a better way of asking it would be which is least undesirable, as I've seen that none of these coins seem particularly desirable in bulk. However, the Canadian silver is the only one I've seen offered for less than melt, which is surprising to me since it has a pretty high silver composition.

Does anyone have any experience selling any of these? Any thoughts on whether I should keep snapping up the 80% when it's offered under spot?

i don't have any experience selling any silver. With that said, I believe that the fact that you can buy the Canadian under melt makes it a clear no-brainer on which of the three different types you listed to buy. In your situation, I'm buying the Canadian.

 

[ArkieBassMan]

IMHO, when the economy crashes, it would be wise to have LOTS of small denomination silver coins to do your bartering with.
I prefer silver dimes for this purpose, but war nickels will be popular when that happens too.
Stacking 1 or 5 or 10 ounce bars is nice, but who's going to give you change for that??
I'd prefer to buy a loaf of bread with a war nickel or dime than a 1 ounce bar or coin...

This always makes me chuckle. I understand the thinking of needing "change" and small denomination silver coins to barter with in a SHTF scenario, but I personally don't believe it will be necessary. First off, if the economy collapses I think you will be VERY hard-pressed to find someone willing to trade necessities for hunks of shiny metal. If you should find said person or group willing to trade silver for food and other needed things, a single silver dime or war nickel isn't going to buy anything. It will likely take fistfulls (or more) of silver dollars/bars to buy so much as a can of nasty Vienna sausages. There will be no change given. The absolute best barter items will be the vice items - tobacco, drugs and alcohol. Even toilet paper could honestly be worth its weight in gold, so to speak. In that situation, weapons and ammunition will likely be the most valuable things in existence, but I don't believe I would trade something to someone that they can turn around and use to kill me and take everything I have.

I'm not expecting the zompocalypse anytime soon, but it does make for some interesting discussions.

 

[Megalodon]

This always makes me chuckle. I understand the thinking of needing "change" and small denomination silver coins to barter with in a SHTF scenario, but I personally don't believe it will be necessary. First off, if the economy collapses I think you will be VERY hard-pressed to find someone willing to trade necessities for hunks of shiny metal. If you should find said person or group willing to trade silver for food and other needed things, a single silver dime or war nickel isn't going to buy anything. It will likely take fistfulls (or more) of silver dollars/bars to buy so much as a can of nasty Vienna sausages. There will be no change given. The absolute best barter items will be the vice items - tobacco, drugs and alcohol. Even toilet paper could honestly be worth its weight in gold, so to speak. In that situation, weapons and ammunition will likely be the most valuable things in existence, but I don't believe I would trade something to someone that they can turn around and use to kill me and take everything I have.

I'm not expecting the zompocalypse anytime soon, but it does make for some interesting discussions.

I agree with you - on all points. I also find it curious that we coin collectors often assume that the general public recognizes silver vs clad coins like we do. I don't believe we would be able to find many people who would accept silver coins in exchange for anything of value. I'm reminded of the videos of the guy offering a choice to people "on the street" of a free candy bar or a 1 oz silver bullion coin, 10 oz bar or even a 1/10 oz liberty gold coin. In every case, the person chose the candy bar.

 

[fistfulladirt]

We used to throw the 40’s back. Times change.
i have sold Canadian silver, it’s just a US vs CAD thing.
As far as stacking goes? Lots of flavors, personally I like Mercury dimes as they’re fractional, and there’s no mistaking they’re silver at first glance, unlike the Roosevelt.

 

[fistfulladirt]

I agree with you - on all points. I also find it curious that we coin collectors often assume that the general public recognizes silver vs clad coins like we do. I don't believe we would be able to find many people who would accept silver coins in exchange for anything of value. I'm reminded of the videos of the guy offering a choice to people "on the street" of a free candy bar or a 1 oz silver bullion coin, 10 oz bar or even a 1/10 oz liberty gold coin. In every case, the person chose the candy bar.

Those Mark Dice videos are entertaining, yet sad. Then again, those folks have no reason to want or know precious metals, so who can blame ‘em? If the need arises to barter with PM’s, folks would come up to speed very quickly. PM’s have held value throughout history, and how soon we forget.