Rare Collectible Coins

Part of collecting coins is unearthing the interesting and unique histories that come along with the pieces. Often, each coin that you add to your collection will have its own story that you will enjoy sharing with others. One type of coin that has an interesting history over all and unique stories for each piece is the silver coin. Rare silver coins from the United States are highly collectible. Consider the stories behind some of these silver dollar coins and you may want to collect them yourself.

The earliest strike of the silver dollar coin is referred to as the “Flowing Hair Type.” These coins were only struck in the years of 1794 and 1795. The reason that these coins are unique and highly collectible is explained by the way they were struck. In this time period, the dies for striking coins were handmade. This means, you could come across two 1794 dollars with small differences. In addition, the coins were hand filed to reach the right weight after striking so you may even find coins with original file marks.

From 1804 to 1835, the United States government did not strike any silver coins, but in 1836, a new silver dollar was invented. This one was called the “Gobrecht dollar” because the coin had an engraver named Christian Gobrecht. The original dollars included Lady Liberty on one side and an eagle surrounded by twenty six stars on the other. On the early strikes, the lettering below the eagle states “C. Gobrecht F.,” an inscription that was removed on later strikings.

While there were some coins struck between 1839 and 1875, the next interesting and highly collectible coin came along in 1878. Called the Morgan dollar, named after its engraver, this coin is highly collectible. Unfortunately, many of these coins were melted down during World War I when the United States needed money to fund the war. Only a small percentage of original Morgan Type dollars are still in existence.

There are many types of collectible silver coins, and each will have a long and interesting history. The ones mentioned above are just a few of the options you could choose. When you get ready to buy your next rare silver coin, consider learning its story before you make your choice. Coins with an interesting story are often the most valuable pieces you could add to your coin collection. In this case, the value is not in the money, but in the story.