Old Coins Can Be Worth More Than You Think

 For years, people have been saving up there up their coins for a rainy day. Whether or not you ever cash them in, it feels good to know that they are there if you ever need them.  

But what you may not realize, especially if you have inherited a family members old coins, or you yourself have a jar stashed somewhere that you started collecting many years ago, is that there may be a lot more value in that old jar of coins than meets the eye. 

In fact, at Atlanta Gold and Silver, we have been seeing a lot of people coming in with old coin collections and walking out the door with a large check in hand. Of course, not every old jar of coins is valuable (in terms of silver, you want to look for dimes and quarters pre 1965), but there is no harm in looking. 

So, how do you know if your bag of dimes is worth more than, well, a bag of dimes? Here are some things to look for and some tips that may help you find some substantial money laying around the house.

Note: these values are not absolute and they are based on the price of silver in May 2013.  These are based the melt value, and do not consider condition or possible collector's value. 

• 1916-1945 Mercury dimes.  These are 90% silver (10 percent copper) and each dime can fetch a price of around $1.50 
  
• 1946-1964 Roosevelt Dime: Despite the year, these dimes are the same weight (2.5 grams) as the Mercury dimes and are worth the exact same as the earlier dimes. 

• The rest of your dimes (beginning in 1965), are simply dimes worth 10 cents each. 
• 1916-1930 Standing Lady Liberty Quarter.  If you happen to have these in your old stash, you are in luck. At 6.25 grams, you have a little over $4 in silver value. 

• 1932-`1964 Quarter.  Any quarters during this period (before 1965) are worth the same as the Lady Liberty Quarters and weigh the same 6.25 grams.
• While you are less likely to have half dollars just collecting dust in the house, it's still worth looking.  Any half dollar minted in 1964 or earlier can be worth about 12 dollars. 
• Even the ones that are made between 1965-1970 still have a little value in them (they are composed of 40% silver, compared to the pre-1964 90% silver ones)

Here are a few more coins that may bring you some extra cash..

• Morgan Dollar (1878-1921).  Based on the price of silver, you could have about 17 dollars in just one of those. 
  
• Peace Dollar (1921-1935) Same as above

To find out more about the different types of coins and mintage of the coins, visit http://www.usmint.gov/

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Still Sell Your Gold and Silver

Even though gold prices have dropped, that does not mean you should not sell your unwanted jewelry and gold.  Here are 3 top reasons why it's still okay to cash in your silver gold and platinum when the prices are low.

1. SPRING CLEANING. If you have items that are gold or silver or old diamonds just sitting and collecting dust, why not sell? 
2. YOU STILL MAKE MONEY. Just because the prices of the metals are not sky high, does not mean you can't make money. In fact, there is still a lot of money to be made from your unwanted scrap metals.




3. BUY NEW and trade old. Buy that new piece of jewelry you deserve.  Out with the old and in with the new.


To find out more about how to sell your silver and gold, click here.

How to Sell Your Gold

At Atlanta Gold & Silver, we get calls or customers that have never sold gold before. This is not uncommon. For some, the process may even seem intimidating or confusing.  It is actually very simple.  Here is what you can expect when you sell your gold silver or diamonds to Atlanta Gold & Silver.

• Go through your jewelry box and find unwanted gold or silver that you don't want.
• Bring your jewelry into our safe location in the heart of Midtown Atlanta.
• One of our employees will then go through and test your items with you. There are a few ways we do this to determine the purity of the metal.

1. Scratch test: For gold, we may scratch the item on a touchstone. Then based on the mark on your jewelry, we will begin the acid test. To learn more about the acid test, click here to get a better understanding on how the scratch test work.  In fact, you can even buy your own kit to test your metals at home.

This is an example of an assay machine. Ours is a different model. 

2. Assay Machine:  Generally we will use our assay machine to determine the makeup and purity of metal in your jewelry. Basically, this is an x-ray machine that tells us what components make up the jewelry.  We are one of the few locations that use this high tech machine because of its high cost.

• Once we know what you have (for example, 14k gold), we weigh the items.
• Using the price of gold, which can change by the hour, we input the weight and purity into our computer and Voilia...the value of your jewelry and unwanted metals is determined.
• To show you the breakdown, we will hand give you the printout, showing the price of individual items.
• Next, we ask to make a copy of your ID (sorry, its the law), assuming you decide to sell.
• Finally, we hand you a check.

To find out more, visit our website at www.atlantagoldsilver.com