Posts Tagged silver coins
Kinds of Silver Coins to Collect
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 23, 2012
Coin collecting is a fun and interesting hobby that everyone in the family will love. it is ideal for men and women of all ages and also children. if you are the type of individual who needs some downtime in their busy lives, then you should consider starting a coin collection so that you can relax and unwind while studying your beautiful coins. Worthwhile coin collections should include valuable coins that retain their worth over time. This helps you to turn your coin collection into a family tradition that can be passed down throughout the years. one type of coin that is sure to add worth to any collection is a silver coin.
Throughout the years, the U.S. Mint has made numerous types of silver coins for circulation purposes. This began in 1794 and lasted up until 1964 when silver became considered too valuable to use in circulation coins. Over those 170 years, the U.S. minted a large variety of rare and valuable silver coins that would be a perfect addition to any collection.
One of the most recognizable silver coins out there is the quarter. since its debut in 1916, the quarter has undergone numerous changes and designs. Before George Washington’s profile appeared on the quarter in 1932, an image of Lady Liberty holding a shield and an olive branch was depicted on the quarter.
Another well known silver coin is the half dollar. This coin used to feature a picture of Seated Liberty and Barber before changing to Walking Liberty in 1916. The half dollar also had an image of Ben Franklin on it from 1948 to 1963. after his assassination, Kennedy appeared on the coin.
The smallest silver coin that is available on the market is the three cent piece. This coin measures only 14 millimeters in diameter. it was minted between the years 1851 and 1873 and has a six-pointed star on one side.
The price of silver coins has retained its value due to the supply and demand of this precious metal. Silver coins will continue to be an asset to any coin collector out there and are a great match for your coin collection. You will love to enjoy looking at their shiny surface and finding out about the colorful history behind each coin. Silver coins come in a variety of styles and you are sure to find one that is perfect for you.
Tags: price of silver, silver coin
Kinds of Silver Coins to Collect
Coins Honoring the Chinese Lunar Symbols Are Popular
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 23, 2012
Many major mints have issued coin series honoring the Chinese Lunar calendar. These naturally produce a twelve coin series that makes collecting the entire set relatively easy. One can anticipate when a series might, end and make arrangements to obtain one of each coin from it.
Starting in 2008, the coins issued in order should be mouse or rat, ox, tiger, rabbit or hare, dragon, snake, horse, goat or ram, monkey, rooster or cock, dog, and pig or hog. Not every mint uses the same word for the symbols, and some mints even refer to the series as the Chinese zodiac series.
Perhaps the most widely known and most popular are the Perth Mint’s multiple series. The Perth Mint started issuing Chinese lunar coins in 1997 with the gold mouse coin in multiple denominations. In 1999 the silver and gilded coins were added with the year of the rabbit. now, the Perth Mint is issuing series II coins.
The silver and gold coins of the Perth Mint are issued as bullion coins, and come in multiple denominations. The images on the silver and gold coins differ, making them distinct series from each other, a real plus for the serious collector. this is a normal practice of the Perth Mint, which shows the dedication of the mint to retaining its stellar reputation. The sizes of the silver coins are one-half Troy ounce, one Troy ounce, two Troy ounces, five Troy ounces, ten Troy ounces, and one kilogram.
Perth lunar collector coins are the proof, the proof-like colorized, and the gilded silver coins, all of which are available in the one Troy ounce size. The most desirable version is the one kilogram limited edition that features a diamond in the eye of the image. Occasionally other versions were released, such as the five Troy ounce gilded rooster. Colorized coins are limited to recent years, and are also available as bullion coins. Collector coins are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, and often housed in a case, although the case is optional for the gilded coins.
The Perth Mint issued three years at once to finish the silver series, which started two years later than the gold series. So, the 2010 silver tiger coins of series I have been available for quite some time.
The series II coins have different dimensions than the series I coins. The one Troy ounce coins are thinner, but have a larger obverse and reverse. this allows more detail with the images, and makes distinguishing series easier. The series II coins started with the year of the mouse in 2008. it is still early enough to start collecting series II and obtain most of the coins from the mint as they are issued.
The Royal Australian Mint produces coins of the Chinese Lunar calendar in both gold and silver. The gold coins appear in sets with the silver coin. These coins and sets were designed for the mint’s corporate customers, but are now being made available, on a very limited bases, to the collecting community. In the past the Royal Australian Mint has issued to collectors smaller silver lunar coins.
The Royal Canadian Mint issues lunar coins based on the Chinese Lunar calendar that consists of silver coins with a gold center. These are not the gilded coins, since the entire center is gold. They make a very nice appearance, and are very desirable.
The New Zealand Mint offers three series of silver coins based on the Chinese Lunar calendar, the gilded and colorized editions in proof-like condition for Pitcain Island and the gilded proof edition for the country of Niue. The images on the Pitcain Island coins have different images than those on the Niue coins. In 2006 the New Zealand Mint issued eight one ounce silver coins for the Kingdom of Cambodia honoring the Year of the Dog. Each has the colorized image of a different breed of dog.
Black Spaniel Gallery provides links to the major mints mentioned in this article. These links can be found at http://blackspanielgallery.8m.com by selecting the button to the link page. this service to the coin collecting community is happily provided.
When looking for short series of coins that can be easily collected, consider lunar coins. Animals make beautiful coin images.
Teach Your Child to Save Money
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 18, 2012
Children can learn about money as early as age two. they watch as you pay for things, either with cash or an ATM card. they learn constantly and money management can be incorporated into everyday events. Remember that short lessons are best as preschoolers have a short attention span.
Your children are watching you. Setting a good example will likely provide the strongest lessons as you are aware of the messages that you are sending about money. here are some fun ways to teach your young child about coins and money.
Sort Coins by Color
Begin by differentiating pennies from silver coins. Pennies are easily understood as children learn how to count. Practice counting out 10 pennies at a time.
Sort Coins by Size
As your child gets older and understands more, work on the difference of the silver coins by grouping the coins by size. Even though children learn the sizes, learning that a dime is worth more than a nickel is a hard concept for very young children.
Pretend
Practice by pretending to be a bank and exchanging money in the different denominations. another pretend game to practice is to operate a store where your child can buy his own toys.
Recognize Opportunities
Keep your eyes open for moments that can reinforce your teaching. Buying groceries, clothes, or eating at a restaurant and leaving a tip are all great opportunities to explain to your child what you are doing and why. The best learning opportunities are just regular day-to-day activities.
Use a Piggy Bank
Introduce the concept of some sort of container that is only used for saving coins. You may want to consider a clear container so it’s easy for your child to see how much is in his piggy bank. Periodically, open it and count the coins. Let the child see how it grows
Use a Coin Counting Machine
If the child is older, consider buying an inexpensive coin counting machine. Unloading the coins from the piggy bank is a fun way to practice sorting and counting. You can also teach the relationship of the different coins.
Introduce Paper Money
Once your child has mastered coins, it is time to introduce paper money. In a child’s eye, coins are probably more valuable than paper money. Over time they’ll begin to understand the relationship.
Use Money Related Toys
A toy cash register is a great gift for a three year old to practice learning about money. You can also emphasize the value of toys when at the store. each time your child sees something he thinks he wants, point out how much it is and how many coins would equal that amount.
Kids don’t really like to save money. they want the things that money buys more than the good feeling of future financial security. to get the idea of saving money to stick with your kids, it should be part of a larger lesson about the value of money and being a smart consumer. Those may be heavy subjects for a young child, but there are easy ways to put the lessons in terms they can understand.
One Promising Economic Sign: Demand for Coins is Up
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 14, 2012
The U.S. Mint circulated more quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies last year. And that’s a good thing.
When the economic crisis hit a few years ago, people turned to one of the most traditional safe havens for savings: piggy banks.
(MORE: Will Tensions With Iran Really Push Gasoline to $5 a Gallon?)
“People went into their piggy banks and their coin jars and spent those coins,” U.S. Mint Deputy Director Richard Peterson told NPR’s Planet Money. “Those coins flowed back into the banks and then ultimately back to the Federal Reserve. the Federal Reserve started filling up and they turned off the spigot of new coin production from the United States Mint.”
But last year, coin shipments from the Mint finally increased — by 37%, which means that less people are digging around their own homes for dimes and nickels. Not surprisingly, gold and silver coins were also extremely popular as many Americans looked to precious metals as a more stable investment. Gold and silver collector’s coins were actually the largest source of revenue for the U.S. Mint last year. More than 45 million ounces of them were sold in 2011, which was about a 30% increase, a record spike.
(MORE: Inside the Fed’s Vault: $1 Million of Unused Coins)
But even though many Americans were still concerned enough about the economy to buy up gold and silver, the increase in circulating coin production was a promising sign. What’s not so promising is that it now takes the U.S. Mint 2 cents to make a penny and 10 cents to make a nickel, according to the Mint’s annual report. (The Mint says it’s looking into ways to reduce these costs.)
More bad news for the mint: the recent announcement by the White House that the Congressionally mandated presidential dollar coin program would be discontinued. there was little to no demand for many of the coins, but the Mint was forced to make them anyway. however, even though very few sold, the ones that did sell actually made a little money for the Mint: the coins cost 18 cents to make and were sold for $1. But overall, axing the program is slated to eventually save the federal government $50 million.
Even without the presidential dollar coin program, the Mint still plans to be in the black this year. And any of that profit will go to paying down the national debt.
