The Silver Dollar Scoop — A Coin Collecting Blog

How Much Is A Silver Dollar Worth? - Trade Dollars August 27 2013

In last Friday's blogpost, I discussed how to value U.S. Morgan dollars (1878-1921) and Peace dollars (1921-1935).  In today's post, I'm going to write about a lesser-known American silver dollar—the Trade dollar.   Unlike the Morgan and Peace dollars, Trade dollars were never intended to circulate within the U.S.  They were produced exclusively for the purposes of international commerce, designed to compete with the silver dollar-size coins of other nations...

How Much Is A Silver Dollar Worth? - Peace and Morgan Dollar Values August 23 2013

Just as with other coins, there are many factors that go into determining a silver dollar's value.  But simplifying everything down, what makes one silver dollar worth more than another?  The answer is mintage.  The number of coins produced in a year determines each date's relative rarity.  For example, most Morgan silver dollars have mintages in the low millions of coins.  The few dates and mintmark combinations that have mintages...

Where to Find Great Coin Deals (Part 2) August 19 2013

In Part 1, posted last Saturday, I discussed 5 locations for finding great coin deals.  Here are 5 more!   6. Flea markets Flea markets have been described as garage sales on steroids.  They sometimes stretch for what appear to be miles, and the amount of "stuff" for sale is almost beyond comprehension.  In this apparently never-ending field of used goods one can usually find at least a few tables featuring...

Where to Find Great Coin Deals (Part 1) August 17 2013

Like many hobbies, coin collecting has its share of great stories.  I've heard tale after tale of a friend or fellow collector who found the perfect coin by complete and total accident.  Sometimes it's a silver dollar used as part of a purchase at a fast-food restaurant. Or maybe it's a Walking Liberty half dollar that turned up in your grocery store change.   But how do you put yourself in...

What Are My Coins Worth? - Old Coin Values August 16 2013

As a professional numismatist and a guy who's known to be crazy about coins, this is a question I get asked a lot.  And if you're looking to sell your coins, the answer becomes very important.     Let's say Jim just inherited some old silver coins from his grandfather, perhaps a few Morgan dollars, and decides he wants to sell them.  Jim doesn't know anything about coins, so he...

Why Are Silver Dollars Valuable? August 12 2013

You may be asking yourself, what's the point of spending $40 or more on a coin with a face value of only $1?   Yes, it's true, if you take a silver dollar on your next grocery shopping trip you'll be able to buy little more than a couple candy bars or maybe a small bag of Cheetos.  But if you decide to waste your silver dollar by spending it, you've...