Apart from the debate over 90% silver coins vs. bullion silver, I thought it important to note he talks about the changes made in laws (Financial Regulatory Reform Bill and Healthcare Reform Bill) making coin dealers fall into the same category as banks and other financial institutions.

It would seem to me the government is preparing to close the doors on silver investors from accumulating government issued silver coins. If we’re going to accumulate silver eagles or other denominated 90% silver coins, it might be best to accumulate those coins before January 1, 2012 when coin dealers will then be required by law to report to the IRS your silver purchases.

Hello? Can you see the door closing?

After January 1, 2012, the federal government could very possibly implement price controls on what coin dealers were allowed to give you for your denominated silver coins. It seems to me this is a pretty good argument for not accumulating ONLY denominated silver coins, but to also own silver rounds and silver bars.

Of course, I don’t know what the federal government might do in the future. These ideas are just something else to think about.

There are other great ways to find silver dollars for your coin collection though. Try browsing through the coins that might be available on an internet auction site like eBay. Instead of being limited to just the coins that one particular store has, look through a whole bunch of coins. Maybe you will be able to locate the one that you need at a reasonable price.

Make sure to pay special attention to items that you do buy online. Pictures can be deceiving and you do not want to be disappointed when your silver dollar arrives for your coin collection.

Reasons To Add Silver Dollars To Your Coin Collection

One great reason to collect silver dollar coins is because they can be worth a great deal of money. The price of silver has gone up quite a bit which has directly affected the cost of silver coins. As the price of silver continues to go up the value of the coins that you have will appreciate over time.

Another great thing about collecting silver dollar coins is that they always have a value. You can always buy something else with the silver dollar in your collection whereas you can’t simply walk into a store and buy a pack of gum with an action figure that you have been collecting.

Silver dollar coin collections are great to pass down through generations. Start collecting all of the silver dollars that you can get and then pass it on to your child. They can add more coins to the collection including the most recent coins as well. Eventually someone is going to have a pretty impressive collection of silver dollar coins that is going to be worth a great deal of money.

Whether you are collecting gold coins or silver, it is fun. Watching your collection grow over time can be extremely satisfying. While it might be tedious to get started with a silver dollar coin collection over time you will grow to love it. Looking at the little details of the silver dollars will be fun instead of a strain on your eyes.

When most people think about silver coins they assume this includes all nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars. They are all silver in appearance so it is not hard to imagine why people would think of them in that regard. In reality, many of these coins are not really silver at all. In fact, most of the coins produced today do not contain any silver at all. Because of a critical silver shortage in 1965, Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1965, which authorized the removal of silver content from circulating coinage (except for the Kennedy half dollar) minted after December 31, 1964, replacing it with a clad composition of 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel.

In order to determine the types of silver coins for your collection that are available you will need to do a little research first. Spend some time getting to know the different types of coins that are out there and then learn the details connected with each one. Understand the levels of grading that are associated with each coin to help you get a better understanding of the overall value that each coin has.

Different Types Of Silver Coins You Can Collect

Half dollars are great silver coins to collect. The United States Mint began producing this coin way back in 1794 which were then called the Flowing Hair Half Dollars. Several different varieties of the half dollar were minted between 1794 and 1964. During this time period these coins were made out of 90 percent silver.

Many people will find that collecting the earliest half dollars will not be an easy task. Coins from the 1700s and 1800s are likely to be pretty worn out which decreases their value. Even in this worn out condition old silver coins like this can still cost a small fortune.

Another popular silver coin to collect is the dollar. Just like the half dollar, production of the silver dollar began in 1794. There are a variety of different versions of the dollar and up until 1971 they were produced with a large amount of silver in them.

When the United States Mint began producing the Eisenhower Dollar in 1971 they stopped using silver as its key ingredient. There were a few years where the mint produced special versions of this dollar but they were limited in release and aimed specifically towards silver coin collectors.

Go local

Coin shops are plentiful almost everywhere. Generally your local area or city will have coin shops which you can visit to purchase silver bullion coins as well as collectible silver coins. Most of these coin shops are located in the larger town or cities. Better yet, use your local phone book and start walking those fingers through the pages to find out where the nearest coin shop(s) is located…

These shops provide coin collectors the opportunity to actually examine or scrutinize the coins that interest you. Fortunately, these coin shops are also replete with experts and coin lovers who share your passion and can offer their valid judgment on a particular coin’s grade or value. They can also offer helpful tips as well as advice.

Local coin shops may sometimes have a limited stock or collection of silver coins and the price they offer them for may be a little bit higher than some other places.

Auctions for Silver Coins

There are also auctions specifically for silver coins. This method is a very effective – if not excellent – way to purchase silver coins. It is extremely important that prior to attending an auction you know the procedures and rules that apply.

There are various types of auctions; bidding auctions via mail, internet, as well as auctions conducted by phone. Always be aware and wary! It is important to make sure that you set a fixed price on the coin you are about to bid on. Auctions can turn very emotional and aggressive. Practice discipline and try not to bid more than the ceiling price you have set for yourself.

I have purchased numerous silver coins on eBay for example. You can find good buys on silver bullion coins and bars, junk silver coins, numismatic silver coins, and just about any sort of silver coin.

Buying silver coins by mail

This method is a very convenient and inexpensive way to purchase silver coins. Most dealers that transact via mail usually have overhead costs that are low so they are able to offer similarly low prices on coins they sell.

Do not forget to thoroughly inspect a particular dealer’s policies before returning an item. Make sure that once you receive your coin, immediately inspect it for authenticity or damage. The coin you must have must be just as you ordered and what you expected.

An alternate way to get silver coins by mail is to join a “silver coin of the month” accumulation program like the one offered by Silver Snowball. While the initial cost may seem high, if you recommend the program to others, you can actually get your silver coins far below spot price.

In summary, silver coin buying is not difficult. All you need is to research and look for the best product available.

With the growing interest in protecting one’s wealth with silver and gold, there has been much hype on the Internet as numerous programs have appeared almost overnight. As with any business, you should carefully select the program you want to participate in and do your due diligence before joining any of them.

Silver Snowball is a well established program offering it’s members a single-tier affiliate program that allows them to get their real .999 Silver Bullion at below spot price with as few as three members. While Silver Snowball is a great program, it’s compensation plan does not allow you to earn from the efforts of others.

Numis Network came on the network marketing scene with it’s MLM structure, but it’s high entry fees and pricey collectible numismatic coins attracted mostly MLM heavy hitters with flashy websites and a hyped advertising pitch.

Several other programs offer privately minted silver or gold bullion coins, and there are even a few whose products are highly questionable or non-existent at all.

What sets XAG Network apart from all the above is they are the first MLM of its kind, offering uncirculated .9999 pure Silver Bullion coins from various government mints, a network marketing 5×8 forced matrix model, no high entry fees, and a monthly silver bullion coin purchase for a very reasonable price.

With their 5×8 matrix, there are only five people on the first level with others spilling over below those 5 members down eight levels. This is by far the best way to earn in the Network Marketing industry.

XAG Network is a very affordable alternative to the more expensive programs allowing a great opportunity for the silver enthusiast who believes in the network marketing model. Its free to join and at only $5/$12/$39 per month to be involved the risk is almost nonexistent.

There is a serious amount of money to be made in the silver bullion market as a record number of people are flocking the the safety of silver and gold. If you have a flair for network marketing, want to protect your wealth while accumulating real value in silver bullion, then XAG Network deserves your attention.

Silver bullion coins could be the most well known type of bullion that is selling very well on the internet and are among the most expensive and valuable items in the world.

Some high priced coins you’ll find include the silver ingot. The silver ingot was said to have been found in the Spanish ship Atocha that sank in the ocean. This ship was found to contain treasures and artifacts including silver ingots. Others claim that the silver ingots were recovered from an old Colorado Mining area. Coins were found everywhere and were said to have been hidden by the miners.

The silver Maple Leaf Coins are also popular among collectors. These coins came from the Royal Canadian Mint and include the Walking Liberty half-dollars and the dealer roll first-strike 1994 U.S. Eagles. These items were a collection of the Franklin Mint which had more than 100 masterpieces in their memorabilia.

Most bullion collectors prefer the gold billion. Some famous bullion gold coins include the gold Krugerrands, which are from South Africa. The European Gold Crowns were released from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Other items include the Canadian Maple Leaf Coins and the United States American Eagle Coins. British Sovereigns can also be found including the Swiss Helveteas and the French Roosters.

The awesome 10-ounce Swiss gold bar, China gold panda set, and the American eagle proof set coins can also be found and are considered to be the most seen coins on the internet. There are gold bullion found in the American Eagle set, Mixed Lots, Rounds, Bars, and any other similar categories that are found on some sites on the internet.

A type of bullion that is not well known is the Platinum bullion. It is not as in demand as great the silver and gold bullion coins. Platinum bullion can be purchased anywhere: some of them are the French Statue of Liberty coins, Eagle sets, and the Koala Proofs. The World Trade Center has also offered some Platinum bullions like the Englehard platinum bar, crucible dish made of platinum bullion, and the Johnson Matthew Year of the Dragon coins which were recovered from the safety vaults of the building when it collapsed.

These coins can be considered as thoughtful gifts aside from their being valuable since they can be kept as a souvenir from the person who gave it. A bullion bar that features a happy birthday greeting can be a thoughtful gift for a friend’s birthday especially if the bar has the date of the birthday on it. Some people also use them for their anniversaries as their gifts to one another – they search for those bullions that have the date of their engagement or the wedding year. Some brides also ask their groom to find her 24-karat gold flakes or silver flakes as her chosen token for their wedding.

Coin collecting of this type can be very expensive, especially when buying bullion, but here are some tips that can guide a person in his search for affordable bullion.

• You must be sure of the type of bullion you would like to purchase before ordering or buying.
• You must ask yourself, or the person you are buying the bullion for, what bullion he/she prefers and ask if they would like to come with you when purchasing the bullion.
• You need to figure the delivery costs and add them to the agreed price.
• You should be sure that the seller will guarantee delivery for the item if they have ordered it on the internet.
• You should never make the payments using instant money transfer firms.
• It is important to know the seller’s background and reputation in the business.

Make A Great Collection
It is also possible to make your very own gold coins’ collection with the choice of American Eagles and also Gold sovereigns being very good options which are the most common choices for most people. Also, when buying these items remember that they do not have a fixed weight or size, and they are measured on their value as well as weight that can differ according to the size of the coins. The unit of measurement is grams though earlier they were measured as troy ounces which were a part of an ounce. Nevertheless, one cannot deny that gold bars are the most pure form of gold being measured as nine hundred and ninety-nine parts out of a possible thousand, while coins are only nine hundred and seventeen parts per thousand.

You will find that buying of gold coins is easy when you shop from the Internet and even from a gold shop. However, you must be well aware of the particulars of gold including its name, type as well as make which should be well displayed. Also, when shopping online you should ask for and get pictures of the coins to satisfy you that everything is in order. No doubt, one cannot pinpoint any single gold coin as being ideal, and it can be rated according to one’s own taste which means that some people prefer the Eagles while others may evaluate the Sovereigns to be the best because it is all a matter of individual preferences.

You can also derive much pleasure from collecting gold coins and many people make it their hobby, and if you happen to be lucky enough to have purchased some of the very valuable rare coins, your collection would fetch you a very good price too. So, if you want to collect gold coins make sure that you start off on a small footing and not get overexcited and make sure that you invest money wisely and deal only with reputable persons who also subscribe to PNG which is the Professional Numismatists Guild.

My response is to ask another question. Do you believe the economy is going to get better in the coming years, or do you believe the economy is about to crash amidst a massive currency crisis and hyperinflation?

If you believe the economy is going to get better, then Numis might outperform Silver Snowball overall. Numis Network sells numismatic coins (collectible coins) compared to the bullion coins sold by Silver Snowball.

You’ll pay many times the value of the silver bullion content for a numismatic coin with their high premium. At today’s approximate silver retail price of about $20, you’ll pay over 6 times more for a one ounce MS70 American Silver Eagle coin from Numis Network. A 2010 MS70 Silver Eagle can be bought from APMEX for $100, or on eBay for $106. While it’s true many numismatic coins generally appreciate over time and they will likely be worth more to collectors in the future, that assumes a good economy. And, of course, you’ll need to find the right collector to buy your coins at the right price when you want to sell.

On the other hand, if you believe our economy is not so strong and may face a currency crisis with the devaluation of the dollar and hyperinflation, then Silver Snowball will outperform Numis. Unlike numismatic coins, silver bullion coins and bars derives its price from the worldwide spot market for silver and buyers are plentiful.

If a family is faced with losing their home or struggling to put food on the table, do you think they might sell their silver and gold to get the money they need to survive? If so, the market will be flooded with numismatic coins and the owners will likely have to settle for much less than they originally paid for their coins, perhaps getting not much more than the market price of silver bullion coins.

In the above scenario, the value of numismatic coins could fall to the silver or gold content value. On the other hand, silver bullion coins could be doubling, tripling, or quadrupling in price while the collector coins lose most of their value.

I have no special knowledge of the future and can’t predict what will happen, but from what I’ve learned from history and what I see happening in our economy today, I believe our economy is heading for a big crash before it gets better. I can’t see how we can sustain a national debt of over $12.5 Trillion with a budget deficit growing beyond $1.5 Trillion on top of a $56 Trillion total national debt without it all collapsing at some point. The question is, “When?”

Gold and silver have been the safe haven asset for the past 5,000 years and will likely continue to be so. My purpose for investing in gold and silver is not greed or making lots of money. No, it’s to protect what I have and survive the coming crash so when things do get better I will be in a better place financially to thrive.

For me, the answer to which is the better choice, Silver Snowball or Numis Network, is simple. Rather than betting on the direction the economy will go in the future, I’m going to ensure that regardless of the outcome, my wealth is preserved with bullion coins from Silver Snowball.

Since the first day American Eagle Silver Dollars were released in 1986, they’ve been the most highly prized and most popular Silver Bullion Coins in the world! Many consider the design of the coin to be one of the most beautiful coins ever produced. Requiring no assaying, American Eagles are easily converted to cash at any time.

The obverse (front) of the coin features Adolph A. Weinman’s stunning Walking Liberty design originally used on U.S. Silver Half Dollars from 1916 through 1947. The reverse design is a rendition of a heraldic eagle by John Mercanti and also features a shield, with 13 stars, representing the 13 original American colonies, positioned above the eagle’s head.

Highly prized for their historical beauty and pure silver content, American Eagle Silver Dollars are the largest Silver Dollars ever issued by the U.S. Mint. (These are impressively large and substantial coins.) By law, each coin contains one full troy ounce of pure silver. Each coin contains 1.0000 troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver and is 40.6 mm (1.598 inches) in diameter.

Every Silver Eagle is a work of art, minted to exacting standards by the United States Mint. These classic coins are among the most affordable ways to own government minted bullion coins.

These coins are commonly used as investments or gifts or collected or as protection in case of national disasters or bank failures.

Note: SILVER COINS ARE STANDARD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALMOST ALL SURVIVAL AND NATIONAL DISASTER SITUATIONS WHEN BANKS MAY FAIL OR CLOSE AND PAPER MONEY IS USELESS – ONLY SILVER AND GOLD IS ACCEPTED EVERYWHERE IN EVERY EMERGENCY.

Numismatists or the people who study the history and over all appearance of the above mentioned forms of currency are different from coin collectors. Unlike numismatists, coin collectors are only interested in collecting coins and the prestige that goes along with it; a numismatist may also be a coin collector and vise versa.

Over the years, coin collection has been very popular. The most common designs are famous people and animals to depict the era when the specific coin was released.

Numismatists are generally interested in use of money, its origin, appearance, variety and production. They aim to explore the role of the different kinds of currency in our history using mint information. Mint refers to the place or facility where the coins are manufactured. They also grade or authenticate coins to determine their market value. To facilitate this, coin grading system facilities were established.

At this time there are three major third party facilities that authenticate coins and/or paper money. These are: the PCGS or Professional Coin grading system located in Newport Beach, CA; the NGC or Numismatic Guaranty Corporation in Sarasota, Florida; and Paper Money Grading (PMG).

PCGS is a third party institution that was established in 1986, which grades and authenticates coins primarily for commercial purposes. They are an independent body providing expert opinion in rating a coin. NGC is also a third party institution offering services solely to numismatists. It was established in 1987. On the other hand, PMG is solely for authentication of paper money and a smaller department of PCGS.

When coin collecting was not as popular as it is now, there were only 3 categories into which a coin could fall: 1. Good – which means that the coin has all of the details intact; 2. Fine – which means that the coin has all the details intact and still has a bit of luster visible; and 3. Uncirculated – which means that the coin was never put on the market thus maintaining its original appearance.

However, today coin grading has evolved and is becoming more definite. They use a combination of letters and numbers that corresponds to the quality of a coin. The coin grading system of United States of America is the most comprehensive and recommended for beginners. An example of USA grading system: MS-60 to MS-70 which means that the coin is blemish-free and has good color and strike. In short it’s perfect!

Knowing how to grade a coin properly is not only a gift, it’s an art. It requires knowledge, exposure and obviously skills. For coin collectors, ability to grade a coin is a must because the value of a coin largely depends its grade.

Here are some components Numismatists use in coin grading

• Luster – it is a determining factor whether or not a specific coin has been circulated. To have a higher grade, a coin must be technically intact and free from any form of imperfection or blemish.
• Surface preservation. Abrasion on the surface of the coin and its location is a huge factor in grading a coin but it does not necessarily mean that abrasion can lower the grade of a coin. For example, if a good-looking coin has a severe abrasion on the back that is unnoticeable it will not count against the coin, but the issue may not be the same if the abrasion is located on the front or focal point.
• Strike. It refers to the coin designing process wherein the coin is being stamped onto a planchet. In overall grading, strike does not weigh a great deal.
• Coloration. For some coin collectors, preservation of original color of the coin has a huge impact on its value especially if it is a copper or silver coin.
• Eye appeal. Some coins may not be perfect but collectors may find them attractive, however, it still requires expert opinion to conclude that a certain coin is excellent in all aspects mentioned.

If you have no background in grading coins, you have no business in coin collecting and numismatics without employing help from the experts. Coins have been playing vital roles, not only in the lives of people who love collecting and studying them, but in society as they represent different eras in history. Whether you are selling, buying or collecting coins, you must acquire the necessary basic knowledge or information; so that you can be assured that it is accomplished properly.