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Author Topic: Silver Dollars  (Read 12244 times)

SuperCracker

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Silver Dollars
« on: April 04, 2011, 08:12:20 PM »
I have some old silver dollars and wanted to use one to pound flat and make inlays. How can I ensure that they are the material I'm looking for? Is there just a certain year range or ???????

Thanks
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SuperCracker

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2011, 08:30:15 PM »
Quote from: Daniel Russell on April 04, 2011, 08:26:50 PM
I assume that you have weighed the collector value of your coins vs. buying some silver sheet.

They we're my Grandfathers that he accumulated over the years. I'm sure it would be cheaper to buy sheet but this is more for a connection with him than $$.
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Offline Stophel

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2011, 08:31:48 PM »
You do realize that silver is about $38 an ounce now, and silver dollars will bring a premium....
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Offline Dphariss

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2011, 09:46:26 PM »
Quote from: SuperCracker on April 04, 2011, 08:12:20 PM
I have some old silver dollars and wanted to use one to pound flat and make inlays. How can I ensure that they are the material I'm looking for? Is there just a certain year range or ???????

Thanks

Keep the dollars and buy some non-monitory silver rounds or sheet.

Dan
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Offline tallbear

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2011, 10:03:41 PM »
Cracker
They should be pre 1965.That would make the 90% silver and 10% copper.Just fine for inlays.I have no problems useing old coins particuarly if they are in poor condition.The conection to your grandfather just makes it better in my opinion.I doubt Supercracker could retire from the sale of a couple of silver dollars. ;D ;D

Mitch
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Offline Bill of the 45th

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2011, 10:08:22 PM »
If you are going to use one, just make sure it's not a Carson City mint coin, they could be worth 4 to 500 bucks each.  Quarters would be a better choice, they can be had cheap, by comparison.

Bill
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SuperCracker

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2011, 10:47:04 PM »
Quote from: aka tallbear on April 04, 2011, 10:03:41 PM
Cracker
They should be pre 1965.That would make the 90% silver and 10% copper.Just fine for inlays.I have no problems useing old coins particuarly if they are in poor condition.The conection to your grandfather just makes it better in my opinion.I doubt Supercracker could retire from the sale of a couple of silver dollars. ;D ;D

Mitch

Thanks. There are some that are in fairly bad shape. They've been through a house fire. They were all in a jug of some description and some of the ones on top got hot enough to droop a bit.

I figure those would probably be the ones to use but I wanted to ask first. I didn't want to use it and then find out that it was some wacky alloy that would turn peuce after a year or something.
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Offline Curt Larsen

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2011, 11:02:41 PM »
Please don't destroy those silver dollars.  If you need to pound something, find some old sterling spoons or buy some sheet sterling silver.
Curt
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Offline KentSmith

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2011, 11:11:40 PM »
Use the coins particularly if they have been damaged.  A Morgan or Peace silver dollar has about .7736 oz of silver and .1131 oz of copper.  Considering the price of silver is arouond $38/oz depending on whether JPM has manipulated the market today or not, you would pay $38 plus a premium plus shipping and insurance for anounce of silver while the silver value of your coin would be $29 plus the value of the copper which I will not calc. here, not factoring in the numismatic value which is negligible for a cull or damaged coin.  Cheaper to use the coin for the gun and buy the silver against inflation.  1964 or earlier.

If the coins are in good shape, get some silver another way.  I do like to work coin silver though.
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SuperCracker

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2011, 11:27:04 PM »
Quote from: Curt Larsen on April 04, 2011, 11:02:41 PM
Please don't destroy those silver dollars. 

again......fire......softened to the point of deformation
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Offline Stophel

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2011, 11:50:41 PM »
Well, then, pound that sucker out and make something useful out of it.   ;)

As far as the alloy, it's perfectly fine.  I mean, it's lasted this long, right?   ;D
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Offline Dan'l 1946

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2011, 12:01:05 AM »
 Given the condition of some of these coins, using them for your purpose is fine. Monetarily and collectabity values are not factors--these worn and damaged coins are worth scrap prices, but will make fine additions to your gun. And the connection to your Grandfather is beyond priceless. Go for it!
                              Dan
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Offline Glenn

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #12 on: April 05, 2011, 12:12:01 AM »
I would leave the good coins alone and save them for heirlooms.  As for the bad coins, or "culls" I'd smelt them down (or pound them) and use them for whatever you're doing to honor your Grandfather.  I'm sure he would like that.   ;D

What I would like to know is what year(s) of quarters are what metal(s), and the same for nickles?  If anyone can answer I would appreciate it.   :)
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caliber45

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #13 on: April 05, 2011, 01:11:54 AM »
If you don't mind a bit of oversize, why not inlay one of the GOOD silver dollars into the cheekpiece to remember your grandfather? It's already nicely designed! I've been inletting 1942 (the year I was born) half-dollars into some of mine. Looks kinda neat, and on that particular design, the year is protected enough that it doesn't wear off. -- paulallen, tucson az
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Offline KentSmith

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #14 on: April 05, 2011, 03:10:46 AM »
http://www.coinflation.com/

I think pre 1970 (not sure ) nickels are worth .07 melt value each because of the nicel metal value.  1942-1945 WWII niclels contined some silver and are worth $2.00+ melt value not counting the numismatic value which I assume is higher.

This site has calculaters for most US coin melt value.
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Offline Glenn

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #15 on: April 05, 2011, 04:08:49 AM »
Thank you.  I haven't run across that site yet.  I appreciate the assistance.
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Offline rick landes

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #16 on: April 05, 2011, 04:11:07 PM »
I stopped using coin silver a while back. I had gotten a nice 1800 barber that after cutting to a nice daisy was found to be counterfiet when the heat of silver soldering came near it!
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Offline TPH

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #17 on: April 05, 2011, 06:12:49 PM »
Quote from: GRA on April 05, 2011, 12:12:01 AM
I would leave the good coins alone and save them for heirlooms.  As for the bad coins, or "culls" I'd smelt them down (or pound them) and use them for whatever you're doing to honor your Grandfather.  I'm sure he would like that.   ;D

What I would like to know is what year(s) of quarters are what metal(s), and the same for nickles?  If anyone can answer I would appreciate it.   :)

As I understand it, any silver coin made in 1964 and earlier are what is called "coin silver".  Nickels (5 cent pieces) were made, of all things, nickel primarily, but were made of silver for a couple of years during WW2 (1942 through 1944 maybe?), though I am not sure if the alloy was the same as other coins, it may not have been.  I forget, I haven't "collected" coins for many years.  I have hammered out dimes - both US and Canadian - for wrist escutcheons a couple of times and they work very easily, the silver is quite soft and malleable.  Quarters and above always seem too thick and wasteful of metal to work with unless you want to make a thick or very large inlay.  For those reasons I would leave the silver dollars alone.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2011, 06:13:16 PM by TPH »
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Offline Stophel

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #18 on: April 05, 2011, 06:22:13 PM »
Years ago, I hammered out a silver quarter to make a thumbpiece.  It works pretty easy.   ;)
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NSBrown

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #19 on: April 05, 2011, 06:28:11 PM »
Are you guys hammering the coins cold? Or do you heat them to red and hammer while the coin is hot. Or do you anneal the coin and then hammer...annealing as necessary?
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Offline TPH

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #20 on: April 05, 2011, 08:13:56 PM »
Quote from: NSBrown on April 05, 2011, 06:28:11 PM
Are you guys hammering the coins cold? Or do you heat them to red and hammer while the coin is hot. Or do you anneal the coin and then hammer...annealing as necessary?

NSBrown, you are confusing silver with iron and steel, silver works very well cold, there is no need to "heat them to red and hammer while the coin is hot". I've never had to anneal silver....

Chris, the quarter is fine, but I was replacing original inlays on original rifles both times I used dimes. The wrist escutcheons in both cases were simple ovals about 5/8 of an inch by 1/4 inch and quite thin when filling the original inlet. Sorry, I should have stated that.  (Insert "embarrassed" icon here.) :-[

I made copper a pin for one and got fancy and made a pin from a piece of a quarter on the other so I guess you could say I have used a quarter. 
« Last Edit: April 05, 2011, 08:20:21 PM by TPH »
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Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #21 on: April 05, 2011, 08:48:35 PM »
 Do a search on coin inlays in the archives on the old board. Maybe some info there that will help.

 Tim C.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2011, 09:48:01 PM by Tim Crosby »
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Offline Rolf

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #22 on: April 05, 2011, 08:55:00 PM »
Allways work silver cold. If you hit it while its red hot, it will crumble. To aneal sterling silver, heat it to 650oC (dull red/orange color) and plunge into cold water.

Best regards

Rolf
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Offline Roger Fisher

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #23 on: April 05, 2011, 09:05:57 PM »
Sure use the poor ones and save the best for your kids to fight over when you pass over the great beyond. :D
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Offline Glenn

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Re: Silver Dollars
« Reply #24 on: April 06, 2011, 01:16:56 AM »
Thanks folks for your responses.  I appreciate the information.
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