Coins & Paper Money -> Bullion -> Silver

People buy silver bullion coins for a few different reasons. Some buy them because of the precious metal content as an investment and buffer against inflation. Some people buy them because they fear that one day our popular currency will become worthless, and they want to be prepared with the only kind of money that would likely be worth anything in that case. They know they could use gold and silver coins to barter for goods and services if paper money were repudiated. And some buy bullion coins because they’re coin collectors and they want to add these brilliant pieces to their collections.

If you want to buy silver bullion coins for investment purposes, then your true investment in the silver lies in not how many coins you buy necessarily, but how many ounces of silver you end up owning because of those coins. In this case, it doesn’t matter if the coins can be used as currency, so foreign coins which contain high amounts of silver are as good an investment as United States coins, or vice versa, depending on where you live. The age of the coins is irrelevant, too.

Silver bullion coins minted since 1965 contain stamps showing the purity of the silver within them and the silver coins pre-dating this do not, but that makes them no less valuable as an investment. Many people think the only silver bullion coins used in the US are dollars like the 1 ounce American Eagle, which is a popular collector’s coin. But before 1965, several types of coins contained 90% silver, like dimes, quarters and half-dollars. These and coins like the American Silver Eagle, which contains 1 ounce of pure silver, are a good investment and in a worst-case scenario where the value of paper money dropped substantially, these coins could be used as money.

Survivalists who invest in silver bullion coins typically purchas as many coins dating since 1965 as possible. They believe that it’s likely that one day our money system will collapse and the only real currency that one could survive on would be silver and gold bullion. Since the silver content is stamped on each coin produced since 1965 showing that it’s an ounce of pure silver, they believe that it will be easier to get people to accept those coins as payment in the event of a financial collapse. For these purposes, they’ll typically buy $1000 face value bags, or bags in smaller increments, rather than individual coins.

For collectors, the earlier coins are often considered junk coins, because they have little numismatic worth. Silver bullion coins for collectors are typically silver proofs or coins in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, only if they really want the coin and can’t acquire a mirror-like proof. If you’re looking on eBay for collector coins, a popular place to find them, you’ll need to do some research on the individual silver coins so you can tell the difference between BU and proofs, as often they look similar.

Originally posted 2008-10-27 14:00:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Coins and Paper Money -> Paper Money – World -> China

The Chinese actually invented paper money, and the process of making it dates back to the early 9th century. Collectors are always seeking Chinese paper money due to its rich history and value, and this is a currency that is very unique. Although it is nearly impossible to find many of these notes outside of a museum, Chinese paper money is very popular and if you can get your hands on a note, you may have a treasure on your hands.

Chinese paper money was originally called “Flying Money” because it was so light, and if the owner did not hold on to it, it could easily blow away. The first notes were made from very delicate paper and they were used almost like IOUs. The owner would write down on the note what they were willing to pay for something, and the recipient could then take that to the bank to cash it. This bank draft system is very similar to our own checking system now.

Chinese paper money changed slightly when the Mongols took over. Instead of paper, the notes were then produced from silk and they were backed by a silk standard, much like the gold standard that would later be used in the Western hemisphere. This was a new idea, and in order to use the notes, the owner would have to actually deposit a set amount of silk yarn in the bank.

The silk form of Chinese paper money endured, and was used throughout the world. It has been discovered in far flung parts of the world by archeologists, but it is very rare to find any that are available to private collectors. After this period in Chinese history, the Ming Dynasty changed the currency, moving back towards paper.

The main problem they faced with this new Chinese paper money was that there was only one set denomination. This forced many to rely on coins since the notes were hard to use for smaller purchases. Due to these problems, paper money actually fell out of use and inflation rose. It wasn’t until modern times that paper money would return and become widespread.

We can thank the Chinese for our current paper money system and their innovations which are centuries old are still in use today. Collectors of Chinese paper money will typically be able to find notes for sale from other private collectors or at auctions. The advent of the internet made it easier to locate many of these notes and business is booming on online auction sites.

For those interested in collecting Chinese paper money, it is best to find notes that are in good condition. The most common are the ones from the Ming Dynasty period, but every once in awhile you can find older notes. The paper is very thin, so these notes should be treated with extreme care and sealed off from air and dust. They are an important part of monetary collectibles and should be treasured as such by collectors.

Originally posted 2008-09-29 14:00:46. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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