Silver coins are just that --
metallic currency containing a significant amount (usually greater than 50%) of
silver. Up until the mid-
1960's,
Canadian and
American coins both contained large amounts of
silver. Dwindling
silver supplies, rising prices and
silvers usefulness in
industrial applications caused both nations to eliminate
silver from common
currency. The public noticed, of course -- leading to
the great coin shortage of the '60s caused in part by people
hoarding silver coins.
Coins to watch out for:
Nickel is
magnetic,
silver is not -- keep this in mind when sorting through piles of
loose change.
- Previous to 1967:
- 1967:
- 1968:
- 1964 and earlier:
- 1965 and onwards:
-
Sources:
- USGS - Silver History & Significant Events:
- http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/silver/880798.pdf
- The Coin Site:
- http://www.coinsite.com
- Albern Coins on Canadian Coin Varieties:
- http://www.canuck.com/~albern/variety.html