News — Silver

2016 Mark Twain Commemorative Coin

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

2016 Mark Twain Commemorative Coin

In 2016, the Mint depicted none other than American author, Mark Twain. Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in November of 1835. Throughout his life, Clemens held many jobs including printers apprentice, riverboat pilot, and minor before he found success as a writer. There are few authors in American history that had a larger influence on American culture than Mark Twain, who will forever be remembered for addressing the complex social issues that America had faced at the turn of the century. These issues included the legacy of the Civil War, race relations, as well as economic inequalities.     There...

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Commemorative Coin Basics

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

Commemorative Coin Basics
In the year 1892, Congress authorized the making of commemorative coins that celebrate and honor American people, places, events, and institutions.  Along with commemorating important aspects of American history, these coins also help to raise money for many important causes. Part of the price of these unique coins is in fact a surcharge that goes to the organizations and projects that benefit the community. The aspects of charity and community really make these coins something special. These special coins are in fact legal tender, but they are not minted with circulation in mind. Each and every commemorative coin is produced by the United States Mint.

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Silver Proof Sets

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

Silver Proof Sets
Proof sets are a well known and common item for collectors everywhere. There are also silver proof sets, specifically for silver coins, as you would expect. Proof sets containing silver started in 1936 and were made till around 1964, when the silver content in all coins, not just proof sets, were slowly reduced to nothing. Proof sets continued to be made, but could not strictly be called silver proof sets. That is until 1992 when the demand became great enough that Silver Proof Sets were made. These Silver Proof Sets are a sought after item for many collectors.

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Honoring Benjamin Franklin

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

Honoring Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was many things; leading author, politician, printer, scientist, philosopher, inventor, civic activist and most importantly, he was one of the great men that founded this country. Because Franklin was all of these things and more, it was decided in 1948 that a coin would be created to honor him. This coin came to be the Franklin half dollar. The obverse of this coin features the bust of Benjamin Franklin, modeled from the original Jean-Antione Houdon bust, sculpted when Franklin was the ambassador of France. The reverse depicts the Liberty Bell as the main focal point and to the side of the bell is a small eagle. 

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The History of U.S. Trade Dollars

Posted by Derek Sawchenko on

The History of U.S. Trade Dollars

In the late 1800’s many countries were minting large silver coins for trade in the emerging markets of China and the Orient. The United States was no different in this respect. The US Trade Dollar was our response. The trade dollar was minted between 1873 and 1885 and it was partly minted due to an increased amount of gold in circulation worldwide. Gold overflowed the normal market channels, which decreased gold’s value and increased the value of silver. The large majority of the coins minted were exported to China where they were assayed by Chinese officials and accepted into circulation and...

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