The Presidential Dollars have the same composition and golden color appearance. Some differences are the rotating obverse designs and the incused edge lettering. Mottoes, dates, and mint marks were all impressed onto the edges of the coins. This edge lettering caused many problems for the US Mint.

The first problem was that the motto “In God We Trust” which had become a mainstay on US coinage was moved to the edge of the coin. Many people did not notice the motto on the edge and instead assumed that the motto was being removed from US coinage. This caused much public outcry and even a call to boycott the new coins.

The second problem was the minting process. The edge lettering was impressed upon the coins in a separate process. This complication caused the appearance of error coins early in the series. Edge lettering could be missing, for coins that did not undergo the second stage of production. Edge lettering could also be doubled or shifted. The US Mint continues to work to eliminate the possibly for these kind of errors, but they still persist.

Starting in 2009, the edge lettering will be modified, it seems in particular response to the public contoversies. The motto “In God We Trust” will be moved to the obverse of the coin. The other motto “E Pluribus Unum” and the date and mint mark will continue to be placed on the edges of the coins.

A second method for investing in silver is with silver rounds. These are privately minted one ounce silver usually in the shape of a coin, although sometime minted in the shape of a miniature bar. These silver rounds carry various designs and can sometimes be minted with custom designs. Premiums are usually lower since these are minted privately and are not legal tender. The value of silver rounds is mostly that of the silver content.

Junk silver presents another silver investment option. Before 1965, some United States circulating coins were minted in 90% silver. Bags of $1,000 face value pre-1965 coins with little collectible value can be purchased as junk silver coins. This $1,000 face value bag will have about 715 ounces of pure silver. This is an interesting method of investing in silver since you are getting old United States coins. Although unlikely, it may contain collectible coins. Each coin also remains legal tender for the face value.

Another method of investing in silver is with 100 ounce silver bars or 1,000 ounce silver bars. Since the bars are not minted into individual coins and are a bulk purchase, premiums are traditionally lower than other methods. Silver bars are produced by certain manufacturers such as Engelhard or Johnson Matthey. They can be purchased from bullion dealers or other marketplaces.

A final potential method is with a Silver Electronically Traded Fund. This type of investment is traded like a stock and can be purchased from a broker. Each share in the ETF will represent a certain amount of silver held in a trust less custodial expenses. As shares of the ETF are purchased or redeemed, the trust buys or sells physical silver. In theory, the price of the ETF should track the underlying market price of silver.

The heart of collecting coins is having fun. How someone assembles their collection is completely up to them. It can be acquired simply by searching through pocket change at the end of the day. A faster, but still affordable method is to search rolls acquired at a bank for face value. An agreeable method might be to trade with other fellow coin collectors. More advanced methods include purchasing coins from coin dealers or at coin auctions.

There are a number of common types of collections that most people seem to fall under. The first is collecting coins by country. A collector might seek to acquire a coin issued by every country or a particular group of countries. This is a favorite of travelers and also traders since it is common to trade coins with people in other countries.

Another method of collecting is to try to assemble each year and mint mark for a particular series. This method became more popular after coin boards made their appearance early in the 1900’s. Coin boards include a slot for each separate date and mint mark combination. Collectors will attempt to find an example of each and place it into the board. In modern times, the coin board has been replaced by special coin albums.

Collectors may also seek to assemble coin collections by type. This entails find one of each different type of coin, based on denomination and design, for a single country. This can be a very interesting and rewarding experience to have a complete assemblage of the coinage from one country’s entire history.