Silver Coin Talk: How much is your silver coin worth?

Dear Sir, I own a very special and huge silver coin. On one side it shows a Portrait of George Washington and on the back side it shows a bird and the writing “Everglades.” I also have some other silver coins but in comparison with the other coins, this coin is much bigger. I hope that it’s a special silver coin. How much is my silver coin worth? And please do me a favor and take a look on the other 3 coins that I’ve also photographed for you.
Kevin from Austin in Texas

Dear Kevin, thank you very much for sending me your coin pictures. I know all your coins very well and I’m happy to tell you more about them. All your coins are minted within the last 10 years and all coins are US silver coins. I also collect silver coins for my personal collection and I tell you, I have this coins too because your coins are an absolutely must have for collectors of modern silver coins.
reDollar appraiser, Alex Fordham

Kevin wants to know, how much is my silver coin worth?

Kevin: Dear Sir, thank you for your quick response. My bigger coin shows an image of George Washington on the front side and on the back side a bird and the inscription “Everglades”. I hope to have a very rare and valuable coin. Can you tell me more? How much is my silver coin worth? And please also check 3 other coins for me. One says George Washington, 250th Anniversary of Birth 1982, the other coin says just SAKMON and National Wildlife Refuge System and the third coin shows our Liberty and the heraldic eagle. Are this coins made of silver too?

Alex: Dear Kevin, you have four very nice modern coins. They are not only nice, they are also sought-after by collectors. But just to be honest right away at the beginning, they are not rare or very special. They are wonderful to collect and a part of our coin history but not extremely valuable. But nevertheless I like them all. And it is like I told you, I own all of this coins too because collecting coins is my hobby and passion. Let’s start with your big coin. You are right. It’s a very huge coin. Bigger than big and you know why? It’s because of the special weight. Most silver coins are minted as one ounce coins or half ounce coins. But this is a 5 ounce coin. So, 5 times heavier than an average silver ounce coin. And not only heavier, it has a bigger diameter too. Your coin shows a diameter of 76.2 mm while a normal silver ounce like the Eagle coin shows only a diameter of 40.6 mm. On the coin’s obverse it shows a Portrait of George Washington and the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST plus QUARTER DOLLAR.” The reverse shows an Anhinga bird plus the writing “Everglades”. It’s a coin from a beautiful series honoring the unique landscape of Florida’s Everglades. Furthermore it was minted in 2014 with a purity of .999 silver. It’s not a very widespread silver coin but sought-after by collectors for modern silver coins.

Kevin: That’s very interesting to learn because I don’t want to sell my coin. I just want to learn more about the value and the background history, for my records.

Alex: Generally coins like that sell for the silver price for resale. Well, if you buy them from a dealer you have to pay more. Maybe you can buy them for about 10% over the stock price. I would say this coin shows a current value of about $100.

Kevin: I like your estimation. Thank you. What about my other coins?

Alex: Let’s talk about a coin which I like a lot: your George Washington anniversary coin. This anniversary coin was minted in honor of the 250th anniversary of Washington’s Birthday. Its official name is 1982 George Washington Silver Half-Dollar, containing exactly .3617 oz of pure silver. Sadly the coin doesn’t show the minting year. You can compute the year of mintage when you know George Washington’s birth and when you are good in math. It was minted in 1982 with a purity of .900 silver. For now, such a silver coin sells for about $10. It’s not worth a bank but it’s a very nice collector’s coin.

Kevin: I like this coin too. Thank you for giving me some background information.

Alex: You’re welcome. But I also like your Salmon medal. I was a sporty fisherman in my youth and I lived in Michigan, a paradise for fishermen. I also love grilled Salomon, best when it’s fresh from the BBQ. And I like your medal too. It’s a medal honoring the National Wildlife Refuge Systems. This medal celebrates a century of Conservation beginning in 1903 and ending in 2003. This medal was minted by the United States Mint in Philadelphia with a purity of .900 silver, showing a weight of 0.7734 oz equaling 26.73 gram. It’s not a coin because it doesn’t show a denomination, it’s a medal and only minted for collectors. I see a current value in the range of $25 to $35.

Kevin: Thank you, Alex. I’m excited to learn so much from your explanation concerning my US silver coins. What about my last coin? How much is this silver coin worth?

Alex: Thank you for your friendly words. It’s my pleasure to help you. The next coin I would like to talk about is a 2012 American Silver Eagle. Silver Eagles are one of the most common and popular silver bullions in the US. Your coin was minted 2012 with .999 silver, showing a $1 denomination and coming as a 1 oz edition. The obverse shows the Liberty draped in the US flag, walking proud in the sun rise over an arête. The reverse of your Silver Eagle shows our heralding eagle with 13 stars. Such coins sell for the silver price. Today, we speak about $16 for such a silver coin.

Kevin: I really thank you for your efforts, Alex.

Alex: You’re welcome, I’m happy to receive more silver coins for an evaluation from afar. Finally, please remember that an evaluation from afar can’t guarantee the authenticity of your coins. A proof in person could turn out new facts that I was not possible to consider before.

Kevin: Thank you for clarifying, that’s what I was expecting but I really appreciate your honesty.