Old Silver Dollars; The Bright Future Of American Silver Dollars
American silver dollars have symbolised the United States' wealth and power. For over two hundred years these large coins have meant financial strength and might. They have been collected by novice coin collectors as well as experienced collectors. They have a lasting beauty and a monetary worth besides.
From the beginning of the modern age, silver has become one of the major metals for world trade. Gold coins are very precious and brass or copper not valuable enough. Silver has the perfect balance of rareness and worth to make it the coin of trade around the world. The United States has always minted silver dollars since the end of the American revolution. The first old silver dollars were nearly ninety percent silver and were pressed from hand made dies giving them a hand made look that is loved by collectors.
Gold lost it's value to silver soon after the early 1800s. Old silver dollars were being liquidated to trade for gold and gold coins. There was a stoppage of the minting of American silver dollars until this monetary crisis evened out. The price of silver dropped to more sane levels in 1835. At that time, the mint started to strike silver dollars once again. A new design was called for and the famous Liberty silver dollar made its appearance.
Christian Gobrecht designed the first seated Liberty silver dollar. This design proved to be so popular with all Americans that it soon appeared on almost all coins of that day. Seated Liberty silver dollars were replaced in 1878 by the Morgan silver dollar. Morgans were struck at such a high number, thanks to the silver strikes in the West, that there was soon a glut of silver and silver dollars, driving their value lower. The owners of the silver mines lobbied Washington to require every banknote in the country to be backed by silver to protect its worth. This led to the huge number of Morgan silver dollars circulating during the mid 1900s.
The value of Morgan silver dollars have kept them the easiest silver dollar to collect. There were so many of these struck in 5 different silver dollar mints across the country that there are many variations of series and dates to collect. Beginning coin collectors will do well to start off with a good grouping of Morgan American silver dollars valued at today's prices.
These days with the advent of the Internet coin collecting is very easy. Any collector can find American silver eagle dollars, Eisenhower silver dollars and even uncirculated proof sets without having to leave home. This has made it a snap for beginning collectors as well as seasoned pros. The joy and excitement of coin collecting can also be a smart investment.
Especially with the world's uncertain economy and the rising value of silver, this is one of the best times to start an American silver dollar collection for your enjoyment and your future.
