1921 90% Silver Morgan Dollar Brilliant UncirculatedSilver is one of four so-called “precious metals” considered as currency by contemporary international standards, the others being gold, platinum, and palladium. Its history as a repository of wealth goes back thousands of years, though. Silver For...

0.5 Oz. Gold American Eagle $25 BU - Random DateYou’ve doubtless heard that “all that glitters is not gold,” but did you know that even things called gold may not be pure gold? Or gold at all. Let’s take a look at the various gold coin metals, including pure gold and more. Alloyed Gold Pure gold ha...

1839 Braided Hair Large Cent in Circulated condition.It’s hard to imagine that half a cent would buy anything, but when U.S. currency was introduced in 1792, one dollar had the purchasing power of over $18 today, making the half cent roughly as valuable as today’s dime. And at a time when a working ...

Uncut Sheet of 32 USA $1 Bills – 2009 SeriesAmong the many things the United States needed to do after gaining independence from Britain was to establish its own money.When a new U.S. Constitution was approved in 1788, it provided for a legislative branch that was to meet in congress in two-year ses...

1976 Proof Set - 6 Coin SetYou don’t have to be a high-roller to collect coins. Sure, there are million-dollar pennies out there, but there are plenty of other collectible coins you can get for barely over their face value. In fact, that’s how most collectors get started. Let’s look at some ways you...

Genuine silver Islamic coins from the Ottoman EmpireThe use of imprinted coins as currency emerged independently in China, India, and the Mediterranean between 700 and 500 BC. Called “money of authority,” the earliest known stamped western coins began spreading throughout the Greek territories in As...

1957-1967 Un Peso Silver CoinsWhen the Spanish first started mining silver in the New World in the 1500s, they used some of it to make crude hand-wrought coins. But as the Spanish real became one of the most widely accepted international currencies, measures were taken to reduce counterfeiting, incl...

After a brief flirtation with unbacked fiat currency during the Civil War, sentiment arose for a U.S. dollar once again backed by precious metals. First, the Treasury issued Gold Certificates starting in 1865, adding Silver Certificates in 1886. The certificates were redeemable in matching coin or b...