In an economy filled with ups and downs, recessions, and where millions of people are losing their jobs, it is tough to find stability. Precious metals investors have always argued that investing in gold and silver is a great way to insulate a personâ??s investment portfolio against complete loss since these metals will never be worth nothing. Over the past few months precious metals have actually bucked the recession trend as investors have run from stocks and other extremely volatile investments seeking safe haven in precious metals. With this in mind, there are ways for the average investor or person to cash in little by little in this precious metals boom by simply paying better attention to the change rattling around in their pockets.

Some US and even Canadian coins used to contain significant amounts of silver. As recently as 1976, coins contained enough silver to be worth a few times more than their face value if they were melted down for their silver content. Many of these coins are still in relatively high numbers of circulation today, and if you know who and where to ask, you can get your hands on them. Many people wonder why there is much of a demand for these coins due to the simple fact that almost no one has the ability or know how to melt these coins down to extract their value. Melted down or not, these coins command a premium on online auction sites like Ebay and the like. So if you can go into a bank and ask for twenty silver dollars, and two of them are worth four times their own face value, it is easy to see how over time, paying close attention to your spare change can actually net you a few extra dollars here and there. Besides, collecting coins can be fun and it’s a great way to learn more about the past.

Coins to look for that have at least 40% silver content are any Eisenhower silver dollars from 1971 to 1976 and any Kennedy half dollars with dates from 1965 to 1970. Kennedy halves from 1964 are 90% silver, and contain almost twice the amount of silver as their 1965-1970 counterparts. The Eisenhower dollars and the 1964 Kennedy halves contain about a third of an ounce of silver. Other coins that are still commonly found in circulation are Pre-1964 quarters, dimes, and nickels dating from 1943 to 1945. These coins contain differing amounts of silver but contain about ten to twelve times their face value in silver currently. It’s not an easy thing to find nickels that are over sixty years old, but the Kennedy halves and Eisenhower dollars can be found if you ask your bank for a roll of coins. It doesn’t cost you anything to get twenty dollars in silver dollars instead of bills and the coins are worth the same when you deposit them as they were when you got them in a roll.