How do you count silver?

Pointman

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I bet there has been discussions on this before, but I have been watching some digging videos where the folks count their silver jewlery etc, as part of their silver count along with their coins. Personally, I don't do this, because it is more challenging for me to find silver coins because of their age then anything else. Who all does or doesn't count silver rings and objects as part of their silver numbers?
 

Msbeepbeep

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Some silver is worth more than other, like a key date coin. If your finding only silver jewelry, different category. It's all relevant.

If I'm not finding a lot of silver I count it all. Lol! Just me!
 

Metal Illness

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I can tell you in 4 years of hunting I have found 178 Silver coins, Silver jewelry.........I'm not sure. That's how I count mine. lol
 

pescadore

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I have always counted silver coins and silver jewelry separately. I find much more silver jewelry than silver coins annually.
 

watercolor

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Which brings us to another dilemma. . . is ONE War Nickel = to a Walking Half Dollar or Silver Dollar for your "silver totals" of the year (excluding jewelry). . . I've always counted them each as ONE silver. . . maybe that's why I'm so poor.
 

Oct 5, 2014
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For me, silver coins are counted separately from silver jewelry!
 

BigWaveDave

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yea, My war nicks count as silver coins, equally as a walker when counting..... jewelry seperate
 

OP
OP
Pointman

Pointman

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I’ve used about all modern ones but right now: CTX 3030, White’s MXT Pro, XP Deus, Vaquero, White’s TRX
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Which brings us to another dilemma. . . is ONE War Nickel = to a Walking Half Dollar or Silver Dollar for your "silver totals" of the year (excluding jewelry). . . I've always counted them each as ONE silver. . . maybe that's why I'm so poor.

I always count my silver separate from my coins and one for one on the coins. (1 half equals 1 coin, 1 dime equals 1 coin) Easy formula to follow.

The one I am not sure of is counting my silver by calendar year or fiscal year because I've been actively chasing silver for a year and 8 months, but I have been detecting a little here and there for many years before. If I count by FY, then I am doing great on the silver; calendar not so much.
 

DeepseekerADS

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I never counted jewelry and the like in my silver totals.

I was fixated on silver coins. If I found a silver ring, chain, or pendant = that was nice as a beginning and appreciated more if it were very nice jewelry.

I counted coins, like the time I hit 22 straight silver dimes. All day long, 12 hours swinging, and it was those coin whispers which fed my dreams.
 

Jason in Enid

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Oct 10, 2009
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I guess I'm the odd man out here. If it's more than 50% silver and I dig it, it's in my total. I don't count war nickels. There is more value in many of the silver rings I dig than a silver dime, so why should they not be included? I dig FAR more silver coins than jewelry, but to me, silver is silver.
 

pepperj

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Never thought of counting silver items in the silver count, weird when I think about it now as silver is silver, but it's just not the same in the count.
 

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Count? Fer why?

truck-weighing-scale-hydraulic-17862-2574369.jpg


Easier to scale it!
 

gleaner1

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Ha! Counting war nickels as silver coin finds is not true and wont be tolerated. Same with silver jewelry. Silver rings are not coins. When we say we found 57 silvers last season, you can bet your bottom dollar it doesn't include war nickels and earrings. That is called cheating.
 

Apr 17, 2014
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Ha! Counting war nickels as silver coin finds is not true and wont be tolerated. Same with silver jewelry. Silver rings are not coins. When we say we found 57 silvers last season, you can bet your bottom dollar it doesn't include war nickels and earrings. That is called cheating.

War nickels have more silver ounces per face than the 90%er's But who is counting :D
 

Tom_in_CA

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I agree with the consensus here: that silver jewelry does not count in a "silver count". Silver coins are in a different category of strategy. A silver ring or charm could have been lost as recently as yesterday in a sandbox, while silver coins had to have been lost 50+ yrs. ago (different challenge).

I would also add that, in the same way: gold coins in bezzles or mounted in jewelry also do not count as gold coins :)
 

Jason in Enid

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I agree with the consensus here: that silver jewelry does not count in a "silver count". Silver coins are in a different category of strategy. A silver ring or charm could have been lost as recently as yesterday in a sandbox, while silver coins had to have been lost 50+ yrs. ago (different challenge).

I would also add that, in the same way: gold coins in bezzles or mounted in jewelry also do not count as gold coins :)

OMG, so many rules on how to enjoy my hobby! :dontknow: LOL. So an 1800s silver ring should count just because of it's age then? An American Eagle bullion round dropped last year not only counts as a silver but as a silver dollar according to the members here, this is getting more and more confusing. I have a simple benchmark: is it made of silver or isn't it?
 

pepperj

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Not that many rules Jason,:laughing7:
 

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coinman123

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Here is an example of how I would do my year end total if I found any silver (which I pretty much did not).

----------------------------------------- ------------------------------------
Silver Jewelry - 2 | Silver Coins - $12.50 Face | Gold Coins - In my Dreams |

| Oldest Silver Coin - 1904 Barber Dime |


If you have a scale you could weigh your jewelry and have it look like this

Silver Jewelry - 12.7 grams |
 

dirtlooter

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silver is silver and a great find no matter what it is but I do count mine separately, coins by themselves, jewelry and other kinds in their own category. coins tend to be a little harder to come by, especially the old ones. it is a personal thing I guess
 

OBN

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All my silver coins and silver rings go in the silver pile, nothing special about any of it..

Unless it is a key date or a rare bird and most of my silver is trashed from years of being in the saltwater.. Gold is goes in the gold pile...The silver pile get attention only when I find more to throw into it, the Gold pile gets a look ever few days, and more often during the winter...now at the end of the year I do separate all, then the silver goes to ARA...
 

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