How Do I Invest in Kennedy Fifty-Cent Silver Coins?
- 1). Calculate the melt value of a Kennedy fifty-cent piece for its silver content. If the coin is dated 1964, it contains 90 percent silver. Coins dated 1965 to 1970, contain 40 percent silver. To calculate what a silver refinery would pay to melt down a 90 percent silver Kennedy fifty cent piece, find out the spot price of an ounce of silver (on 09/06/2010) which is $19.84 an ounce and multiply it by 90 percent.
- 2). Multiply that number by the total weight of the coin which is 12.5 grams. Since silver is priced in ounces and the coin is weighed in grams you will need to then multiply those numbers by the ounce/gram conversion factor, which is .0321507466. Those numbers add up to a silver melt value of $7.18 for a Kennedy fifty-cent coin. Not bad for a 50 cent investment back in 1964. If you know the current spot price of silver you can also find an instant silver coin melt value calculator at this web address: www.coinflation.com/coins/silver_coin_calculator.html.
- 3). Check with coin dealers in your area by doing an online search. Coin dealers often stock Kennedy half-dollar coins. Once you know the approximate value of the coins, you are in a better position to negotiate with a coin dealer. Keep in mind that dealers make money by buying silver at below spot price and selling silver at above spot price. You can always sell the Kennedy fifty-cent coins back to the dealer you bought them from.
- 4). Check eBay to see what Kennedy silver dollars are being offered for sale and what price buyers are willing to pay for them. As long as you know the current spot price of silver and how to calculate the value of the coin based on the silver content, you will know what kind of deal you are getting on the coin by adding the auction price and the shipping costs.
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