What are the best silver coins to collect for investment and for collecting? This is a question many people ask when building their coin collection. Joshua McMorris’s article looks at the top 15 silver coins for collectors and additionally suggests the world’s top 8 silver coins for investment.
Top 15 Silver Coins
The process of collecting a collection of coins allows the collector to choose the items they like. There are many coins that represent important historical or numismatic milestones. In addition, there are rare, sought-after silver coins that investing-minded collectors have been looking for for generations.
Our list of the top 15 silver coins to collect ranges from very common coins that can be obtained for as little as $10 or $20, to coins that cost up to five figures.
Although few collectors can afford to purchase all 15 of these coins, each of them could well serve as a springboard to start building a larger collection. They may include a specific design, issue date, or period in US coinage history.
US 1851 silver 3 cent coin
One of the smallest and lightest coins ever produced in the United States is the silver three-cent coin. They were minted in the middle of the 19th century in order to make it easier to purchase three cent first class postage stamps.
The silver three-cent series has become a popular collector’s item among those who specialize in the finest minting of the United States Mint, and odd denominations in particular. The first coin from a series of silver three cents was minted in 1851 and issued in a circulation of 5.447.400 pieces.
An 1851 silver three cent can be purchased for $50 with a Fine-12 grade (meaning the coin is in good condition according to the international classification of coin condition based on the Sheldon scale).
Even less common examples of these coins can be purchased for less than $300. This makes it a relatively affordable silver coin and, by the way, a terrific collectible.
Half Dime (half dime) 1792 USA
One of the first coins ever ordered by the United States was a 1792 silver 1/2 dismal (dime) or 5 cent coin. Its name comes from the French spelling referring to “tenth” and later Americanized to “ten cents”.
There are many legends associated with this early Federal era silver coin, which is largely considered a model. However, there are many common examples of these silver coins, which is why some of them are classified as regular issue coins. About 1,500 of them were minted at the Philadelphia Mint, while the first US Mint was just under construction nearby.
Silver half dimes were minted under the direction of President George Washington and the first director of the US Mint, David Rittenhouse, and distributed by Thomas Jefferson.
Here’s a pedigree! This coin has every right to be called a national treasure. Silver copies can be purchased for $35–$50,000.
1942-P Wartime Jefferson Nickel
The United States entered World War II in 1941, a couple of years after the conflict in Eurasia began. International conflict helped end the Great Depression. America called on its citizens to unite to liberate overseas countries and defend their homeland from powers that want to take over the United States. In doing so, the United States needed to conserve some critical materials to aid the war effort, including nickel important for artillery.
In October 1942, the US Congress authorized the US Mint to replace the nickel in the nickel with an alloy consisting of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese. The new composition was marked on the coins with the mint’s monogram above the dome of Monticello.
depicted on the reverse of the coin (Monticello (Monticello) – the estate of Thomas Jefferson in southern Virginia). This monogram was the first sign on the coin, symbolizing the Philadelphia Mint. It was minted on wartime nickel from 1942 until production of conventional nickel was resumed in 1946.
A 1942-P wartime Jefferson nickel can be purchased today for less than $10 dollars.
1916 Mercury Silver Dime USA
The 1916-D Mercury Dime is one of the rarest 20th century silver coins in circulation. In total, 264,000 copies were minted, and this was the first coin of the series.
Dimes of 1916-D silver (Denver minted) do not survive in private collections in the same number as the Philadelphia-made Mercury dimes of the same year. They largely went unnoticed until the 1930s, when collectors began looking for entire series of modern date and mint silver coins.
This is a great rarity in all classes of coins. Therefore, prices for 1916-D coins, even in Good-4 quality (poor state of preservation), usually start at $850. Uncirculated examples are rare, with Mint State-60 (MS 60) in excellent condition selling for over $12,000 dollars. Coins in MS-65 condition are already sold at prices starting at $25,000.
1946 Roosevelt Silver Dime USA
After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in 1945 at the end of World War II, there were calls everywhere to memorialize the nation’s only four-term president.
Many considered it most appropriate to pay tribute to “Roosevelt” by minting a silver 10-cent (one dime) coin. This would symbolize his courage in the fight against polio and his call to end this serious disease, which he was diagnosed with in 1921, at the national level. To combat it, Roosevelt founded the March of Dimes, which was tasked with defeating this disease in the States.
The first Roosevelt dime was minted in 1946 and could be purchased for less than $5 dollars as a Choice Uncirculated (excellent) coinage.
Silver 20 cents 1875 mint in San Francisco USA
A 20-cent silver coin was minted from 1875 to 1878 as legal tender. It represents a short but interesting chapter in Reconstruction-era United States coinage.
Many might say that the so-called “double coin” was the least popular coin in the country – at least until the introduction of the Susan B. Anthony dollar in 1979. In any case, the 20 cent coin is commonly sought after by font collectors. Only a few circulating releases have been found. However, the most common of these is the 1875-S. It is a much more accessible counterpart to the Philadelphia and Carson City releases that are also part of this short run.
The 1875-S 20-cent silver coin sells today for about $100 in Good-4 condition and $600 in Mint State-60 condition.
Silver Quarter Liberty 1876-CC (Carson City) USA
Carson City coins are widely distributed and tend to be quite expensive. But there are several relatively affordable options to get the coveted coin with the “CC” monogram made of pure silver with a face value of 25 cents or 1/4 dollar (hence the name quarter – from the English quarter.
which means “quarter” in translation). One of the least expensive is to buy the 1876 Seated Liberty silver quarter. The coins were minted in 4,944,000 pieces and remain fairly affordable for numismatists looking to find a specimen for their collection.