Liberty Dollar

What is the American Liberty Dollar?

Liberty Dollars are specially-minted .999 pure silver rounds and .9999 pure gold rounds, as well as silver certificates and gold certificates sold as "warehouse receipts," which can be redeemed for gold and silver Liberty rounds.

For example, the $100.00 Silver Liberty, dated 1998-2006, commemorates the Eighth Anniversary of the Liberty Dollar. The massive Silver Liberty measures 2-1/2 inches in diameter (64 mm) and contains five ounces of .999 fine Silver. Available in Proof only. Each is packaged with a display easel in a special gift box so it is easy to give or ship.

There is also a 2003 $5 Silver Liberty containing one half ounce of .999 fine Silver. It is the first issue of this denomination and celebrates the Fifth Anniversary. The obverse design retains the same "Liberty Head" as on $10 Silver Libertys. The reverse is similar to the $1 Liberty with a truncated torch design. It measures 32mm and is available in BU only. Limited Edition of 25,000 Libertys.

The Liberty Dollar is a private currency. It is issued by Liberty Dollar or NORFED, which is a partial acronym for "National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve Act and the Internal Revenue Code.". NORFED describes itself as a non-profit company based in Evansville, Indiana, founded to promote the Liberty Dollar.

NORFED is headed by Bernard von NotHaus, the retired Mintmaster for a private mint located in Hawaii called the Royal Hawaiian Mint, which has no connection to the Hawaiian government, despite its name. NotHaus cites a 96% loss in the value of the U.S. Dollar, based on the Consumer Price Index, as a selling point for the Liberty Dollar.

From its debut on October 1, 1998 to November 23, 2005, NORFED exchanged one troy ounce silver Liberties valued at ten Liberty Dollars for US$10, but on Thanksgiving Day, 2005, raised the silver base to US$20.

Although this is a privately issued silver dollar these make a good way of collecting and saving silver as much as any US federal coin.

The Liberty Dollar is a different sort of silver collection than usual. It is not a coin, yet not a silver bar but sort of fits somewhere in between. Suffice to say, they are not particularly expensive and the liberty dollar is a good way to accumulate silver for the future.

Rare Silver Dollar Coin

It is possible to find a rare silver dollar coin if you know where to look. Such coins as the early US Morgan Silver dollar are available at auctions and dealers for a reasonable price.

The first silver dollars were minted around 1794 and according to Wikipedia, The U.S. Mint produced silver dollar coins from 1794 to 1803, then stopped regular production of silver dollars until 1836. Original silver dollars from this period are highly prized by coin collectors and are exceptionally valuable, especially the 1804 silver dollar, which is one of the rarest and most famous coins in the world.

The Mint ceased production of silver dollars in 1803, and the 1804 silver dollar was not actually minted until 1834, when the U.S. Department of State decided that a few coins with the unusual date of 1804 might make excellent gifts to rulers in Asia in exchange for trade advantages. Only 15 silver dollars with the date of 1804 are known to exist; in 1999, one of them sold at auction for more than $4 million. So if you came across one you would be entitled to jump up and down with joy.

It is a good idea when purchasing at an auction to ensure the seller is genuine. On eBay this can be done by checking the feedback and if they are a power seller. A power seller with a 99% or more score is considered a long term buyer and reliable enough to buy from them. Most experienced eBay buyers either dib a large enough amount up front to discourage other bidders or bid at the past minute to 'pip at the post' as it were other bidders in order to capture the item.

Buying from dealers also requires some due diligence and common sense.

Ensure that the dealer is a reputable dealer and has contact details such as snail mail address and phone numbers. Ask how long they have been around. Do they have a returns policy. Check out the terms and conditions of sale. Many people do not because it is a boring read, but this can cost them later.

Do they have such icons on their site as the Better Business Bureau on line (BBB), TRUSTe and a secure connection for credit card transactions for example.

All these are important points to keep in mind, especially when you are paying big dollars for rare coins.

It is fun seeking out and collecting a rare silver dollar coin provided you keep the above points in mind.

Bulk Silver Coin

Bulk silver coin is a very good way to preserve some assets.

The coins are not expensive, tend to hold their own in value and are easy to store and, importantly, resell again later.

Bulk silver coins can be purchased in rolls or bags even up to about 10 kilos. These coins are generally early silver dollars or small denominations and actually contain a quality of silver, hence the point of collecting them. Usually you can find that a 10 kilo bag of silver coins will give you a minimum of 5 kilos of actual silver. Sometimes a bit more.

There are many places you can search to find bulk silver coins, through the internet, auctions or even your own dealers in town.

If that is too much you can start off with small rounds, a collection of perhaps 50 or 100 coins in a package similar to that you seem being broke open at supermarkets when the cashier wants change.

These are a little cheaper and can give a great start or can be purchased on a regular basis to build up your worth in silver.

In today's uncertain economic times many people find that collecting precious metals such as silver, gold etc, is a good offset against inflation and recession. The value of the precious metals retains its value even when the paper currency fluctuates wildly and drops in purchasing power.

An ounce of silver or gold will continue to purchase the same value of goods it always had while paper currency becomes more and more worthless and it takes more of it to buy the same good.

It can be a good idea to spread one's assets around and put some into precious metals. Gold silver, coins and bars are a good long term future investment. And bulk silver coins are a good way to keep a portion of one's assets this way.