5 Reasons YOU should collect SILVER COINS as a hobby.
We are often told that plants need soil, sun, and water to grow. Hobbies are like plants as they also need three elements; time, money, and space. There are many different hobbies in the market place that are often considered trendy or cool but basically all of them require some type of investment of time, money, and storage space.
I have narrowed down to 5 solid reasons you should consider SILVER COIN collecting to be your NEXT/FIRST Hobby and will break each area down in more detail.
Silver Coins Hold Value
Small Size = Easy Storage
History / Culture
Fellowship
Beautiful Themed Art
Before the get to the 5 areas, let’s define what I mean by silver coin so we are all on the same page. Silver coins come in many different varieties, in fact, many nation’s vintage coins had silver content, what we in the silver coin community call Constitutional Silver. Some examples would be some American, Canadian, and Spanish currency coinage that were minted in the past that have silver content.
Currently there are investor grade coins that come from all around the world minted with what is referred to as “Fine Silver” which means the purity is at least .999 or 99%. Some go as far as .9999! They come in various sizes most frequently ranging from 1/4 - 10 Troy Ounces. The most common by far and the one I collect most are 1 Troy Ounce coins. A Troy Ounce is a standard weight measurement that is used internationally.
Now let’s talk about our 5 areas to consider when choosing this hobby.
Silver Coins Hold Value
Hobbies are known to be black holes for money. This is an easy concept to understand. Silver is a commodity and therefore has a fluctuating value which means that the price can go up or down in the blink of an eye.
The difference that Silver Coin Collecting is in the value over time. Let’s compare to a common hobby to see where silver coins shine. If I were to invest in baseball cards, I would be spending a pretty penny chasing a handful of cards that we would hope hold value or grow in value over time.
These cards can be worth a lot, and individual cards can be stored very easily but when buying boxes or packs of baseball cards, there are an overwhelming majority of cards that are worth only the value of the paper they are printed on. You also have to make a choice on what you are going to do with the hundreds or thousands of cards you do not value. Do you store them which can really take a lot of space, or do you throw or give them away?
One of the most amazing things about collecting silver coins is that no matter what, each coin will have a financial value that can be sold or in many cases traded for goods or service. Silver can be purchased or sold all over the world at coin shops, fine jewelers, or precious metal retailers who often look to add to their inventory. There are many other places to sell and trade like coin shows or online.
Many coins are minted in series which means that the subject matter or artwork changes every year, meaning that the rarity overtime grows. This is the equivalent of a rookie card in card collecting. Each player only has one rookie year, and many coins only have one year with the exact artwork represented. A great example of this would be the Silver Elephant series from Somalia.
There are also themes that have spikes in value. An example of this would be select nautical themed coins. I have a coin that I purchased in 2019 for right at $20 in the Queen Anne’s Revenge coin of Tuvalu. It currently (June 2022) is valued over $80! I think this is because of a lower mintage amount, great artwork, and amazing nautical/pirate theme which is always in demand.
Easy Storage
Coins are not large (unless you are buying 5-10 ounce coins). This being said, they tend to store better than most hobbies. I have a case of 72 coins valued in thousands of dollars that measures less than a foot high and long. This easily is lockable and can sit in a safe, closet, on display or many other places.
The versatility that coins provide is beyond useful. The most common coin weight by far is One Troy Ounce. These coins usually run from 38-41 millimeters which is roughly as round as a watch face. There are also many different ways people store coins such as in capsules, tubes, cases, or displays. Many of these items can be found in the products page of this website.
Storage options can be very cost effective like paper flips, which would be super cheap, capsules, which would be around a dollar a capsule to more elaborate systems like displays or storage cases which often are more expensive but hold more coins.
It is hard to find a hobby that stores easier than silver coins and space should be a giant consideration before starting any hobby.
History / Culture
One of the coolest things about silver coins is the ability to learn and enjoy history and culture through featured art. Art its-self is using a medium to communicate a feeling, scene, event, or idea and coins have been used as a means of doing just that going back to ancient times.
Silver coins are such a joy because they are minted throughout the world hosting many elements of history and culture unique of various countries. There are languages, secret security features, and themes that always lend to more enjoyment.
Each coin has a story to tell. It could be of the past, such as the three coin series that the Austrian Mint created highlighting the events of a Crusade and its mark on Austrian Silver or one of the many shipwreck coins that the Royal Australian Mint produced just a few years ago.
Coins also tell current stories such as series that highlight endangered species as well as future themes such as the Back To The Future coin that came out of a Pacific Island nation.
There are copious amounts of literature and videos (YouTube) where you can learn about the importance of the coins you hold so that when you look at each coin, you see the landscape, history, and cultures that are present in the lives of others throughout the world.
Fellowship
Many hobbies have groups of like minded individuals or communities where fellowship and discussions can be enjoyed. The Hobby of silver coin collecting offers that as coin show, local coin shops, online forums and many other opportunities are constantly available for fellowship and the expansion of knowledge and love of this hobby.
One area that is often overlooked however is the opportunity to share this collection’s value with descendants. I have two young children. It is my hope that as they mature, we can talk about the stories that my coins have to offer about their native lands. It is my hope that my Rwandan coins invoke lessons about the destructive nature of the human condition and how humans can bounce back from dark times to find beauty in creation.
It is also my hope that one day I am a grandfather and can tell stories about how my many coins that feature a pelican bring me back to a time where I was their age, crabbing in the intercostal waterways as pelicans flew overhead. And most importantly, it is my hope that when my the sand from my life’s hourglass drops its last grain, that these coins are passed to those I love in a way that reminds them of all of the times we stood over them looking with wonder.
Beautiful Artwork and Themes
If you are not a car guy, cars may be boring to you. If you do not care for stamps, stamp collecting can be overwhelmingly boring. Silver Coins offer a remedy for single category hobbies with a diversity of themes and artwork.
If animals or nature are things you crave, there are tons of coins out there that just highlight nature. If you like history, architecture, or biographical icons of the past there are many coins for you as well. Maybe you have a drive for nautical themed items. There are a plethora of options. There are even giant numbers of coins with pop-culture themes such as Pac-Man, Marvel, and Disney.
Silver Coin Mints take pride in their work so it is very rare to find a minted coin that hosts a bad rendition of the selected theme. Some of the coins minted are downright worth of being held in a museum, like the Weiner Neustadt coin from Austria.
As with the starting of any hobby, set a budget, reserve a space for storage, and a chunk of time. Enjoy the process and know that it should be built one coin at a time. Personally, I just spend about $100 a month so I never feel burdened. This amount also makes me really calculate which coins on the market I want to purchase seeing as I can only get a handful of coins a month. This process works for me. Find what is sustainable for you and let me know about your journey! I really enjoy the community of collectors and their stories!
