# Junk Sikver



## CourtSwagger (Jan 3, 2013)

I am rereading my favorite SHTF book, Lights Out. In this book, as well as pretty much every other SHTF book, junk silver (pre-1965 coinage) becomes the most commonly accepted form of currency. I have a few questions here. 

#1. Does anyone here collect/purchase junk silver? If so, how much is enough?

#2. I struggle to understand why junk silver coins will be acceptable as a form of payment. I understand that these coins are 90% silver. I get that gold and silver coins/bars/jewelry are intrinsically valuable due to the value of real silver and gold. Can you melt down junk silver and create bars or coins? If not, why is it valuable?

#3. Is junk silver a lie we are being sold? We are told in lots of places that when it all goes down, it is going to be a major currency. What do we have that backs this logic?


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## CourtSwagger (Jan 3, 2013)

By the way, the thread title should be "Junk Silver"


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

I don't think that enough people know of the value. I think that barter items will be a better commerce during a SHTF event.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

We've got some pre-64 silver. But we are still concerned over how to determine the value after a true long term SHTF situation.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

If I happen across some pre 64 coins I hoard them. They are getting harder to come across nowadays. I refuse to pay for it by weight. I do buy silver eagles regularly though. They are not intended as SHTF currency. More of a hedge against inflation since our economy is swirling the drain. Maybe I'll cash them in one day.

If the silver eagles happen to be worth something in shtf all the better.

As for melting down Morgan's and pre 64 coins. I think that's illegal... But I hear you could make some great bullets for werewolves outta them.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

The problem will always be convincing someone that your "currency" is valuable, or even real.
Any time a metal is used, we have to develop primitive ways of determining whether or not it is real, and then assigning some value to it.
While there is an active market for precious metals, the market determines the price.
When that market goes kaput, who will decide?

We need to understand what makes something valuable first.
Then we can start deciding what things have value.
In a SHTF scenario, things that can keep you alive will be the only valuable items anyone cares about. Bartering will rule in the beginning.
Only when some form of normalcy has returned will you be able to agree on some form of currency.

I put ZERO emphasis on owning precious metals to use for currency during a SHTF scenario.
Precious metals are "wealth vehicles". They carry your wealth from one time to the next. The optimal times would be when the value is low, you buy, and when it is high, you sell.
Pre-SHTF is the time to buy.
During SHTF is the time to hold.
Post-SHTF is the time to sell, and get your wealth back that you've locked away safely in precious metals.
Only when we get back to caring about how pretty gold is will its value actually return.(post-SHTF)


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Excellent Kauboy. Short, sweet, and to the point.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

I think by now MOST Americans have seen silver and gold commercials - so little doubt people know they have value

Right after SHTF - silver and gold will be about worthless because FOOD will be the the important thing and WHO will trade silver or gold for food??

Those that have enough to use to buy food - will also have food. Those that do not have the food will most likely not have PM's either

BARTER - here is the problem - You need a bunch of nails. Joe needs a chainsaw blade. You do not have a blade. Carl has a blade. carl needs oil for his generator, you do not have oil. .... You will need to have the thing the other person wants in order to barter....

at some point - as always happens.. silver and gold will be used as a PLACE HOLDER.. that way you can give carl x silver for oil etc... A Lot easier to carry 10 OZ of silver around then it is to cart 5 gallons of oil or chain saw blades or 10 pounds of nails...

Silver and gold will not help you for months after SHTF... but they will come into play and they will come to some KNOWN VALUE... it might go up and down but it will settle someplace

AS FOR ME - I have food, Water, Shelter, Security, Medical AND silver (I sold my gold several years ago)


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

We all have opinions.

1) I don't collect junk silver but I often buy it and do have what I feel like is a lot. Please note I buy it off craigslist in CA at about 80% of spot with WTB adds. I've paid 85% and gotten some at 75%. I feel like it's always a good buy at those rates. I've used it many times already in barter. I'll add silver dollars, quarters or rolls to trades and it's often as good as cash if I'm not asking over spot.

2) it's a guess about its post SHTF value. I believe in it clearly. I universally find those who have it do believe in it and those who don't are skeptical. What else are we going to pay people we hire with? I trust a U.S. mint coin far more then an unknown co and it's metal bars.

3) history tells us that metals are valuable in a crisis. Jewish family's bribed nazi guards with golds happened. Through out hundreds of years metals have always trumped other currencies.



CourtSwagger said:


> I am rereading my favorite SHTF book, Lights Out. In this book, as well as pretty much every other SHTF book, junk silver (pre-1965 coinage) becomes the most commonly accepted form of currency. I have a few questions here.
> 
> #1. Does anyone here collect/purchase junk silver? If so, how much is enough?
> 
> ...


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## redhawk (May 7, 2014)

As a FYI...Pre-65 coinage silver content are as follows...
Dollar = .77344 of an ounce
Half = .36169 of an ounce
Quarter = .18084 of an ounce
Dime = .07234 of an ounce

In addition...
Wartime Nickel = .05626 of an ounce
1965 - 1970 Half = .1479 of an ounce

I agree that the barter system will work best after a SHTF event until things begin to settle...JM2C


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Barter can be done through a "broker". I need 2x4s, the guy who has 2x4s needs a plough, there is a guy who has a plough but needs an axe, I make axes. The broker brings these people together and gets a meal for his time (all the traders chip in for his meal). Being the broker is hard but it will be a necessary and protected profession. (nobody will want to hurt the broker and everyone with any needs will want him protected)


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## CourtSwagger (Jan 3, 2013)

We all agree on barter being the main way to acquire goods and services and precious metals retaining value. I guess the my question is will junk silver coinage count as precious metal? I get the silver content, but I'm not sure the silver content can be extracted (obviously post SHTF). Maybe it can. Other than we have been led to believe that it will, what proves to us that pre-65 coinage will have value?


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

You don't want to extract the silver from the coins. it is recognizable as silver as it is. The only problem with "junk" silver coins is that they have a denomination on them and some will want that to be the true value instead of the silver content. I guess like speeding cheating is ok as long as you don't get caught (hack, hork! yeckt) I can't even type it without choking on it. (if its wrong when you get caught, it is wrong when you don't get caught too!)


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

I have to share this:

Every time I see the term "junk silver" I want to tell you that you can send that junk to me, and I'll pay the postage! I don't think that "junk" and silver belong together - no matter how well I understand the term.


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## PatriotFlamethrower (Jan 10, 2015)

Maine-Marine said:


> I think by now MOST Americans have seen silver and gold commercials - so little doubt people know they have value
> 
> Right after SHTF - silver and gold will be about worthless because FOOD will be the the important thing and WHO will trade silver or gold for food??
> 
> ...


I wholeheartedly agree with what you stated. Well written, MM.


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## Urbanprepper666 (Apr 19, 2015)

We as a family hunt for junk silver we keep it as a family competition we see who is aware and is able to spot them. We also purchase silver bullion rounds bars and a few eagles maple leafs ect...

value for barter in a SHTF situation? depends on the situation I firmly believe that if its a temporary situation where government will eventually be restored and everything set back in balance silver and gold (Mostly Silver) will readily be accepted by people with large amounts of recourse for food water medical supplies ammunition ect...

For a situation that may be lasting quite some time I firmly believe that metals will be traded early in but once people see supplies running short everywhere and nothing being restored they will quickly dump their metals for things that they could actually use like food for their family, water, antibiotics and other medical items, security shelter clothing ect.. although I don't personally foresee ( again just my opinion ) something other then economic collapse or civil war security, food/water, and medical supplies are high on the priority list. that being said we do stock silver junk and .999 as well as other items to barter like alcohol, peroxide, antibiotics, bandages, lots of braces we find at garage sales and such.

I am curious to hear more opinions on what would be high barter items in SHTF situation might start a new thread for that


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

I've got to agree with CourtSwagger. Junk silver coins will be confusing to most people. .999 silver coins from a recognizable mint (American Silver Eagle, Canadian Mapleleaf, ect.) will hold much more value in uncertain times.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

bullion will be more valuable (I believe) than "junk silver" 
1. because not everyone knows the content, and they aren't just going to believe you because you said so.
2. melting junk silver to make things will be more difficult since junk silver is basically one step below sterling, so unless you want sterling stuff, you have to separate the impurity
3. bullion is marked as being silver and its .999 purity level right on the piece. This helps with the aforementioned issues of "its just a quarter, see? it says 25 cents?"

I believe silver will be useless to SOME during and immediately after SHTF. Some will see the opportunity to amass wealth while people are most desperate. 

As someone mentioned the silver can act as a place holder, even in the middle of SHTF. As someone else mentioned, brokers, or "i know a guy"s will be valuable.

Silver may bridge the gap between these transactions. Especially when people don't want to meet, or a broker doesn't want to meet. How else will you get guy A to give up what he has to get guy C to give up for guy B.

And then, there are stores. If I make things, or grow things, or do things, I can't sit all day selling my wares. I need to be making, growing, doing things. So I will need someone to sell my stuff on commission, or outright buy it for resale, so I can stay busy. 

So the seller offers me silver as compensation for my goods, that I can exchange for other goods at my convenience, OR to other people for goods and services directly. (That part is what makes silver and gold important. If it doesn't hold a universal value, its just a miners' dollar)


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

Ah a grand discussion / debate. Bullion vs "Junk Silver."

First my bias and preference is Junk Silver and then mint backed coins and in particular Canadian Mint coins. There is my bias.

Bullion is usually an ounce and do you want to give up that shinny ounce for a meal or an old quarter that's a lot less than an ounce. There is a reason I have a roll of dimes in my bug out bag and it's not phone calls. I'd hate to part with a full ounce when a dime or quarter was fair and reasoned. Next who the hell is xyz.xyz mint and why should I trust that to be .999 when it's hard enough to trust a government mint you want me to trust a no name bullion producer?

Other than the premium for govt mint coins and the lack of luster in junk silver I can't see a benefit to bullion....



Jakthesoldier said:


> bullion will be more valuable (I believe) than "junk silver"
> 1. because not everyone knows the content, and they aren't just going to believe you because you said so.
> 2. melting junk silver to make things will be more difficult since junk silver is basically one step below sterling, so unless you want sterling stuff, you have to separate the impurity
> 3. bullion is marked as being silver and its .999 purity level right on the piece. This helps with the aforementioned issues of "its just a quarter, see? it says 25 cents?"
> ...


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## PatriotFlamethrower (Jan 10, 2015)

Ripon said:


> Ah a grand discussion / debate. Bullion vs "Junk Silver."
> 
> First my bias and preference is Junk Silver and then mint backed coins and in particular Canadian Mint coins. There is my bias.
> 
> ...


I'm with you. I have to believe that the vast majority of Americans know that pre-1965 American coins are silver coins. Not so many Americans know that these coins are 90% silver, not sterling silver or 100% silver.

And not so many Americans would know the actual silver WEIGHT contained in each American silver coin.

I would have to believe that the vast majority of Americans would know that all of these coins, plus the Silver American Eagles, are produced by the U.S. Mint.

I have no doubt that less than 10% of Americans have ever heard of silver bars produced by Engelhard or Silvertowne or Johnson-Matthey or APMEX or A-Mark or Sunshine Mint.

Who would I TRUST? The U.S. Mint, and THAT IS IT.

The best thing for people to do is to buy a small book called "The Red Book", which is a coin collecting book that contains all the information needed for ALL U.S. Mint coins.

You can also go on-line and retrieve all kinds of information about U.S. Mint coins.


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## Prepp(g)er (Feb 18, 2014)

i hoard silver ounces as well as "junk" silver. one thing i like about bullion is that is has the weight clearly stamped on the coins. plus theres no collectors value attached to them.. some of the junk silver i have are german Reichsmark coins which contain about 12 grams of silver. those are the cheapest you can come by here. would love to have some silver quarters, just cause it comes in smaller packages^^...cause as i see it, you go and barter for something and the dude selling is going to take the coin you show him..if its an ounce or a quarter ounce doesnt matter. he'll want what you hold in your hand..so the smaller the better imo


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## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

My thoughts are this; when the SHTF US cash will still have value. Most folks will still believe that it is a short term thing and accept US dollars. When the people realize that the event is long term and no one is coming to help them. Then dollars will become worthless and what keeps you alive will become more valuable. But offer everything settles out and folks start to barter. Then all things of value will be bartered, precious metals being one of them. Because precious metals are easy to transport, easily hidden and has an unlimited shelf life.

Post SHTF is like Pre SHTF diversification is key. That’s why I keep cash, gold and silver and other barter items. You never know what’s going to be valuable to someone.


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## topgun (Oct 2, 2013)

Items that have "barter value" should be the items hoarded. Guns, knives, ammo, smokes, alcohol, food, etc. will be worth more then money, in my opinion.


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

In have some "precious metals" on hand in addition to the regular preparations... Very little gold, some .999 silver bars, some .999 copper bars, and lots of lead.


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## Dunkelson (Sep 4, 2015)

Ron Paul put it pretty well when he was grilling someone from the Federal Reserve. He was holding an old 90% silver dollar and saying: how do we even know the value of our currency these days with nothing backing it. Back in the 30's or 40's, you could buy a tank full of gasoline with one or two of these dollars. Today, you can still buy a tank of gas with one or two of these. Meaning, an old silver dollar is worth 20 to 30 bucks in today's fiat dollars, which, with one or two, will buy you a tank of gas.


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## PatriotFlamethrower (Jan 10, 2015)

The actual silver value of a Morgan or Peace silver dollar, today, is $11.28 per coin. Unless you have a really small gas tank, you better have at least 3 of these silver dollars to fill your tank.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

Junk silver--- get it while you can-- get all you can--
Silver always has and always will have value


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