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I saw a web release today about silver. It was talking about silver bars and how you can buy gold, silver, and other precious metals from them. The web release told how gold and silver bullion is cast into either coins or ingot. Now, none of this is new info to me. My husband has collected coins for years, and everytime we visit his family, he sits around the kitchen table bouncing coins of particular dates off the floor. Something about that tells them whether they are made of silver or not.

He didn't get into coin collecting for the investment, but it has been an excellent side effect. A few years ago, he found a silver coin he purchased for very little, and sold it for $275. Part of the reason for the jump in price is that it was silver. As the web release points out, silver demand world-wide has outpaced production since 1990. Because he bought these before 1990, the value has jumped.

He started valuing his coins, and he was really surprised to find out how much he has. He showed me one particular coin and asked if I had ever seen one before. His eyes got wide when I told him I had seen a bunch. My grandma, like other Depression era adults, stockpiled everything. She had a lot of them at one point. Apparently, this particular coin was worth a fair amount. Sadly, there's no telling where it is today.

I don't really get the coin collecting. It's not my hobby. But I have to admit that some of it has worn off on me. I know that silver coins can get a cool color effect after quite a few years. I know where to get coins valued. And I know that the word "ingot" makes me think of pirates. Ok. Maybe I haven't learned that much. :D