Junk Silver: Silver dollars

Silver dollars have gone through quite an evolution the past 100 years.

Once upon a time ago, they were actually made from silver and were valued upon the going price of silver. So a silver dollar could change sizes based upon the market value.

That changed when Congress set fixed prices for precious metals and made the silver dollar a real piece of backed currency.

The current silver dollar has two problems; it is not silver in color and has no silver content. Dollar coins are actually clads (metal discs clad in some type of metal and made of other base materials).

Silver coins of any denomination containing a majority of silver, 90% silver content, were minted until 1964. After that date, all coins went to a fraction of silver and became known as clads.

The Susan B Anthony silver dollar replaced the Eisenhower dollar coin and had no silver content.

The Eisenhower silver dollar was minted in 1971 had none if any silver content.

The Eisenhower dollar coin was the first dollar coins since the Peace dollar coin. It was called the Peace dollar because the obverse featured the word PEACE on the bottom portion of the coin.

The Peace dollar ceased being minted in 1936 making it the last real silver dollar coin.

Earlier silver dollar coins include the Walking Liberty and Morgan. The Morgan still turns up in collections and can be purchased over the counter from most coin retailers.