Why 90% "Junk" Silver Coin Prices are Out of Control! 

I consider it 90% constitutional, no date 90% is junk or anything under g4 grade

I'm 5:40 in and here are my thoughts as to why the premiums are going so high. 1) Uncle Sam has not minted this stuff since 1964 and has no plan to return to it. 2) a lot of it has been melted over the years. 3) being a finite supply, as more folks buy it, the remaining available coin count diminishes. 4) of all PM this is the most recognizable, thus the most easily barterable. for these reasons, I believe premiums on this will continue to rise and easily surpass all other forms of silver bullion.

I get sick to my stomach thinking about all the "junk" silver that crossed my hands over 4 decades and I was ignorant.

Outrageous premiums......but I'm still a buyer🤪

Showing the weight and multiplying times .9 was a GREAT visual. Thank you for helping normal people understand what might be a harder concept to get. For me, it was great seeing it actually weight out correctly (and shows why excessive wear might eventually get you less than 5 ounces). Another great point! (No one is likely to "fake" an old worn dime as it is not worth it.)

There's also a lot of junk silver that got melted over the years. You'll see people selling slicks now, but not too long ago they just got sent to the refinery without much thought. For a long time people treated junk silver like it was never going to run out, and it really did feel like that. Decent quality SLQs used to just be mixed in the LCS junk bin fairly commonly, but you almost never see them now. It gets melted, collectors die and their stacks get lost or put into circulation, the coins get mistreated and wear down. You're seeing it slowly turn into a numismatic piece rather than a cheap way to gather silver. It's almost bound to happen eventually

Circulated 90% U.S. silver coins look like REAL money! All the other silver rounds and even silver eagles do not look like REAL money! It's a matter of Trust! This is especially true if you plan on bartering for goods and services. A circulated 90% silver dollar (morgan or peace) looks MUCH more like REAL U.S. money than a silver eagle! And there you go!

Speaking on the last point you made and speaking from my own experience I'm way more likely to hold on to my 90% silver then my other Silvers. Example I have only been stacking for 3 years but I've never sold any of the 90% silver that I've acquired whereas in tight times I've had to sell my gold or my silver I sold my Eagles or my generics or my bars but for some reason I feel that the 90% silver I rather just hold on to it in case I needed to barter in the future so the supply of it is going to be less and less as people catch on to buy 90% silver and maybe like myself are more prone to hold on to it.

I think everybody should be buying all the silver and gold they can!!! And selling all their wheat and copper pennies and nickels to buy it. (I collect pennies and nickels)

Great video. I've been stacking for a while, but that was the best synopsis of junk silver I've seen. Well put.

Just a year ago...I was getting junk silver at $16 face

good video, but if you compare "junk" silver to silver rounds that are less than an ounce, 1/2 or even 1/10 Junk is much closer and actually has a lower premium, just a nerds observation...stack on!

It's fractional and government minted, the premiums are justified imo.

I have eight five gallon buckets full of constitutional silver that my grandma gave me. Most of them are in mint condition as she purchased them from the bank at face value. I've got one bucket full of silver dollars, two buckets full of silver half dollars, two buckets full of silver quarters and three buckets full of silver dimes. I think that adds up to about $3,800 per bucket face value but I have them in deep storage and haven't counted them in about twenty years. I also have four buckets full of silver nickles and a stack of silver that I've been collecting since 1993. I'm actually thinking of trading them for silver kilo's.

90% is virtually all i ever buy. For exactly the reason that its only going to get more scarce as time goes on. Hope my kids or their eventual kids etc can cash in big time some day 😂

I have been collecting 90% silver for about 30 years. My dad had a bunch of silver coins when i was a kid and i thought it was really cool. When i turned 16 i learned you could just get them at the bank. I get huge lots of coins, a thousand dollars worth, and just sort out the silver. I then return the regular coins for almost all my money back. I only keep the 90%. I also started buying bags of junk silver when the prices were cheap. I have close to a thousand pounds.

I must be blessed... my LCS had 90% for $22.0.8/$1FV last week.

Junk silver is often overlooked and the value they hold. Maybe not the best value, but it’s very recognizable for exchange purposes

My stack mostly consists of junk silver.I prefer it over any other silver by a lot. The history, numismatic value, which isn’t much, but still. Its the best silver there is.

Even at these premiums its still cheaper than buying fractional silver coins and rounds! The best plan is to develop a relation ship with your local (or not so local) dealer. I can't speak for all but we reward loyalty from our customers with deals that joe/jane off the street who buys from whoever is cheapest don't always see. Small businesses appreciate when they see you coming back over and over> Grow your stack!

I always bought UNCIRCULATED rolls of dimes, quarters half, and some dollars at a little bit higher price and love the mint state quality of these rolls. Now years later I am glad that I did this because I am way ahead as these rolls have escalated in price over the past 3 years and I have a good investment return on my rolls, I remember paying 19 dollars a coin for UNCIRCULATED Peace dollars as my LCS in 2016 and 22 for common, UNCIRCULATED Morgan dollars. Franklin rolls were 220 dollars a roll back then also.

They may not be making it anymore and it may be super in demand now BUT we aren't the only people who know about the silver content. My LCS just bought several bags on 90% from an old lady who has been hoarding it for years. These are the kinds of people who will dump it at an LCS for the big $$$ (and good for them) and get it back out there for current stackers. Yes, a bunch of it was melted down but there's more out there then you think.

Those modern Silver proof quarters actually tend to have lower premiums than the standard junk and have more silver (No silver loss, and often are a touch overweight).

I like the collectability of 90% as well. Fun putting books together with all the different years and mints. Also noticed you left Morgan's out of the video. Now that's a whole new level of Premiums.

One of my goals this year was to add $250 face to my stack I managed to acquire $115 in February and early March but i had to put the breaks on shortly after that, the price is now beyond my better judgement and am currently re-evaluating my fiscal goals.

I believe the highest premium silver bullion coin is not the American Silver Eagle, but the Silver Mexican Libertad.

Perhaps 90% is getting more numismatic value as it becomes rarer and more in demand.

Constitutional is the better term for 90% silver coins, because there is silver that is literally "junk". Like the sterling silver ripped from old silver dishes, bent silver spoons, a liberty dollar with a hole drilled into it, etc. Most people don't care enough about words for there to be clarity in our language. But if you value being able to communicate with words that make sense, then using "junk" to describe something people are paying a premium on (which negates the normal meaning of the word junk) is a confusing use of the American language.

I had $28 for a bucks worth of constitutional silver you're better off just buying silver eagles at that point

Constitutional silver is also legal tender for tax purposes. That is why there is a higher premium.

I don't think that the premiums on 90% will ever go back down. They might dip a bit, but ultimately I believe that in the long run the price will keep going up, and at a higher rate than silver spot price will go up. The reason is that 90% silver has numismatic value, since it hasn't been minted for many years and will never be minted again. And since more gets melted away each year, it gets more and more scarce each year. Think of what it costs today to buy a "junk" bag of Sitting Liberty dimes in good condition. Every dime will be worth no less than $25 a piece. I believe that the same will be true for Mercury dimes and Walking Liberty halves in another 50 years, and later on the same will be true for more recent 90% coins, especially if they are in great condition. Personally, I could no longer justify buying 90% silver with the intent of stacking for weight, but since I love 90%, I sort of transitioned to collecting it and actually make a point to buy specific coins in great condition from various online listings. My dollar cost average comes out to about three times spot price, or double the price of what a standard "junk" bag of 90% goes for now. Much higher than even ASE's, but I'm building up a beautiful collection of coins in great condition, old dates, as well as nice toning and aesthetic appeal. Honestly, I have no intention of ever selling it or bartering with it (hence, collecting vs. stacking), but I'm sure that many years from now the collection will become very valuable, since it will be very difficult to find a stash of beautiful 90% coins with old dates and all in great condition. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying it and enjoying adding to it little by little, and the joy I get from it is worth the extra premium I pay for it. As far as stacking for weight, 1 oz rounds are usually the best. As well as the occasional deal on 1 oz coins, like with the Britannia's. Even though you can get large bars for cheaper, they're not very practical if you ever need to sell them off or barter with them. You buy in cheap, but then you lose out when time comes to sell.

The flip side of high premiums to buy is that there are high premiums to sell. I only look at what a couple major dealers will pay for the various forms of silver just to have an idea what my stack is worth, not because I want to sell. SD bullion is currently paying $6 over spot for dimes and quarters and $7 over spot for half dollars. (If you sell ALOT! Their price for lessor amounts is not published.) But the point is the premiums for buying are usually reflected in the price for selling.

The lowest premium Silver is 40% Kennedy 1/2s at $3.75 per coin yesterday. It works out to Spot price coin.

Im glad that the price of junk silver has gotten as high as it is. It's selling for more than the refiners will pay. Nobody is sending it to the refiners. Too much junk silver has already been melted down.

Personally, I like the "junk silver" for the historical value, plus you don't have to treat them like dainty pieces.

Love your videos, you explain things very well!

1964 JFK 50 cent silver coins are my favorite

My first purchase was 90% silver quarters in 2013

I don't call constitutional silver junk.. I call rounds junk 😎🚬

I bought $100 face for 2,100 a year and a half ago. I agree with your reasons for owning constitutional silver. Thanks SS.

I just experienced the massive amount of 90%silver at the pawnshop. But did not buy it. Just 2 hours ago. They priced 1dollar silver at $39.99 . WOW 😢

Hero has been running this deal for awhile bought some over a week ago. Also had a deal on cook island a few other coins not rounds. Plus free shipping at$150.00 most likely b/c they don't waste so much on advertising.😮🇺🇸👍

I was looking at the price of 1/10oz rounds for smaller units to stock. Junk silver is a deal compared to $8 for a 1/10oz round.

Purely anecdotal, but I called a shop I’ve never been to. They wanted $20 a piece for Franklin halves. I almost choked!

I was fortunate tonight going through a box of half dollars to find 5 franklins 1 64 Kennedy tonight.

I try and get a little every time I order bullion coins and those Brit's are a deal at SD, had to grab some 🙂

Just ordered a bag for 2800. I hope they send me some nice surprises. My first time ever purchasing junk silvers. Thank you for the info.

Ha, not only did I like your video, I saved it for future reference! Great to see all the other stackers in the comments. This is the way.

My ballpark estimate based on all the articles folks have written about melting is that "only" 7% of pre-1965 dimes, quarters, and halves still exist. However, that still leaves about 1.1 Billion coins with a face value of over $190 million and over 140 million ounces of silver. And then there are another 94 Million American The Beautiful and State 90% quarters minted from 1999-2020.

I’m just glad I bought junk silver when nobody wanted it. I was only paying 10 to 12 dollars face for it. It’s probably the largest part of my stack.

Tbh I'd either go junk silver or just silver rounds. At the moment I'm heavy on silver rounds just because the premium is too insane and I prefer having MORE silver, but I do love junk silver more, its like a hidden gem.

Some Bible quotes and The Gospel - How to Get Saved KJV Romans 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 3:10,23-24 3:10- As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one 3:23-24 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: -(How that Christ died - he shed his blood) Romans 3:25 Whom God hath sent forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remissions of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Hebrews 10:10 By the which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all @ Once Saved Always Saved Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Can you express yourself less excited ?

I've had folks attempt to tell me that 90% is common. When I hear that I tell them about the great silver melts of the late 60s. Not only did the US government melt it but individuals melted it (illegally at the time). There is still a fair amount out there but realistically compared to even 30 years ago there's a good bit less now. I can tell stories of dealers that I've known being sold thousands of dollars face of 90% and carting it off the the smelter on a Saturday afternoon after closing time. All I know is that I'm glad I have what I do. Thanks, Silver Seeker!

Premiums in Lincoln, Nebraska on 90% silver is $11.10 to $14.00 depending on denomination.

Love Junk Silver!

its also got numismatic value, I bought 90% long before I thought about having silver in my portfolio so by the time I started stacking I unintentionally had a bag or 2 of 90%.

Hey , that is solid good information right there Man . Thank you . Liked and shared . Peace .

90% Franklins are my weakness!!! I'm still not buying over $20 face, though. Too much low premium stuff out there to stack. I'll catch you guys when you are unloading at $20 and under.

Enjoyed the video, liked the comparison with other silver. My screen shows i was the first to like.

Makes buying rolls of nickels and searching for War Nickels look good! 1942-1945 were 35% silver. So $1 FV=1.125 oz. of silver Also, I would bet if I pulled out an ASE someone would find change.

I search rolled coins and just included a box of Dimes with my 2 boxes of Half Dollars... And every Dime in the Loomis Rolled Box are 2023P Dimes...??? Kind of disheartening One complete Box, 50 rolls all 2023P Dimes... Does anyone know if there is any errors on these coins?😀

I bought a bunch of War Nickels over the years in addition to the 90%. A $1 roll is 1.125 oz silver. Plus, I wanted the smallest fractional coin in case we end up using silver for barter.

Thank you dementia Joe.

U Rock SS! Indeed, there's plenty of 90% Silver out there, and bcuz of the current economic situation, it can Literally fall right into your hands: When a local cashier gave me change recently, I immediately heard the distinctive "clink" of Silver! Kept my cool, said I needed dimes/qtrs, & bought $10 worth from her cash drawer. $2.30 of it was 90% - over 1&1/2 OZ of Constitutional Silver from some recent transaction! It's Definitely "Out There"! BTW, I HATE the "Junk Silver" tag. These are Historical, Constitutional U.S. Coins!

If I'm going to have to pay a higher premium, Would rather buy junk silver than American Eagles.

Junk silver IMO is a 3 way win scenario: 1) face value 2) melt valve 3) collectible value In either case when our economy collapses, how else is a person to buy essential goods?

Ty for the information. Great video as always. I'm out to get more silver!

I mentioned before that I paid 17X on Feb. 27th for 90% (Monument Metals) and then all hell broke loose right after that. I did buy 10 ozt of 1 ozt bars from APMEX at 28.33 last week, as it was a decent deal (they are 29.08 today and it's 10 ozt max). I have the feeling that these kind of deals are going to be rare for quite some time, so maybe an opportunity to stack cash and wait this out? I think it'll swing back again, but I also think the dips will be smaller and silver will continue to climb. There are times when it's wise to sit on the sidelines and watch.

I get a kick out of .925 silver forks, spoons etc. selling at or below spot and watch .900 silver selling for way over spot.

Thanks for reminding us of SD Bullion's special on Britannia's. I had ordered 10 with Queen on the Obverse earlier in the year. As soon as I got them I thought "I should have bought 20." They are beautiful coins. So now I'll have 10 each. I really like our Silver Eagles but the premium is way to high!!!!! Thanks for the video's!!!! And continued education on silver,

I prefer to just divide face value by .73 . I agree premiums are stupid high....

The silver marker is amusing to me. The variations on pricing are driven by emotions. There's no logical reason a silver eagle should sell for more than any other one oz silver coin with only one exception, rarity. So, one is left with trying to logically predict what peoples irrational emotional choices will be when deciding on what to buy. That's the silver community in a nutshell, people trying to be logical to anti logic

Definitely some of these “junk silver” may have numismatic collectible value too which makes them desirable

Another excellent video! As usual, you covered all the bases nicely, Seeker! A couple of items I think worth mentioning also: the 90% purity means that they are much harder than .999 and therefore stand up to circulation, and thus you can play with them with your bare hands. And, that many stackers who take umbrage to the term "junk" don't realize the origin of the term as it comes to us from old-school collectors: that these are coins that do not carry any significant extra numismatic value, beyond their intrinsic value as a precious metal. If they do, they're not "junk"! (Do check for key dates, if at all possible, right? Though most of the lots we get from the major outlets are already picked clean) The fractional aspect of these coins which you did discuss is very important indeed; just look at the premiums for modern fractional coins and rounds! It's unbelievable! Junk usually comes out as a better value.

Ive been buying them off friends for 20 times face value, win win.

I dont get how people can get away with faking silver. As in legally, like if they fake a government coin. That is counterfeit, actual counterfeit, but the governments in the world, dont seem to treat it as such.

And another great video, thanks for your work!

I'm more lucky with american junk silver because i live in Europe/Switzerland. Yesterday i won a bid (online platform starter price) for a half dollar 1945. It was just 10.50 swiss francs include shipping.

I didn’t pay anything, I got mine for free after my grandma passed. She kept everything.

Premiums will always go up on junk 90% silver because it's not made anymore! Pro-tip cherry-pick Beauty coins out of 90% junk and hold separately cuz they will hold a different value and gain more value as it ages. Much love Bullion Hoarder God bless

You talk a lot but say very little. Stay on topic. 90% of what you said has nothing to do with the topic.

Great video I'm still buying 90 percent I have 985 dollars face so far

Yup! "Constitutional Coin" is the only accurate term. I NEVER call these coins "junk"! Who is going to invest one, two or $5,000. in "junk"????? The trouble is, todays younger folks have NEVER been taught the Constitutional or what is in it!

In Canada, where I live, we can get full spot for silver coins, regardless of purity. Silver is about to explode and the dealers know it.

I'd note modern commemoratives are cheap raw, especially when compared to pre 64 stuff. They're also significantly rarer with a lot of issues minting 24-40k total. Meh...

Very well done video. You had all the reasons why I have stacked and traded junk Silver for years! And why it will only continue to become rarer and more desirable, for all the reasons you've given! The Mint can always make more Eagles, but the mint isn't making junk Silver anymore! And what will that local farmer want to exchange for his crop or livestock? WHAT THEY KNOW AND REMEMBER 😮❤🔥🔔 ☕✝️

Enjoy your show very much. I listened to it 3 times. I've been collecting metals since "79" still enjoy collecting. I can not call it stacking. Because I have some valuable coins and some bullion.

I've been seeing the same prices online. An LCS where I am working is selling it for $25. I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, I couldn't buy it, I had to do a bad thing and dump 60 oz of buffalo's. Needed the money. Thankfully I didn't loose money. Actually made a couple hundred. Still, I was disappointed I needed to do it.

Too bad sdb don't sell to Canadians :-(

Here in vegas i have a private seller whom i got my junk silver and this are the prices that i pay. Halve(any) $10 per coin Quarters=$5 per coin Dimes(any)= $2 per coin.

So would you trade your 90% for ASE???

Just remember stop buying 90 percent silver, and watch those high premiums come way way down....

Going back in time a few years, (ok several) anyone else remember purchasing "junk" silver coins for BELOW the spot price? I even remember pulling pre-1965 silver out of the till in the early 90's when my dad and his family ran a gas station and convenience store. Insane.

Just bought a bunch of mercury dimes for $1.8 each. Not paying online prices. 😂

This is a terrific video; he touches on all aspects and I like he added the historical/collectible aspect at the end. I sell and many who buy from me tell me they love filling books and others tell me they fill tubes and stack away with each tube filled. Also many buyers seem to have 1 or 2 favorites; 1 lady only buys mercurys and 1 guy only buys walking libertys and another buyer I have only buys Peace dollars.

How much was that scale? 3 decimal spots -oooooooooooooooo ;)

I buy them because of stacking them AND because of the fun of searching for nice and rare pieces.

I have heard reports of warehouses, in the past, holding truckloads of 55 gallon barrels, filled with constitutional silver, headed for the Melting Pot. And this happened for years and years when nobody cared about well-worn constitutional silver. Now if you buy a bag of constitutional silver much of it is very worn and slick. Most people are now cherry picking the nice quality 90% coins. I don't have much 90% silver but what I do have I bought it way back when it was $11- $13 per face. I feel pretty confident that the price of 90% will continue to go up. Like the nice gentleman said in this video, they're not making any more.

i enjoy your content your entertaining and not scared to show your face i wish Salivate metal would