Stack of coins.
There are countless options for those who want to invest in precious metals. If you’re looking for something that stands out among others, though, colorized silver coins might be the choice for you. These beautiful items add a measure of artistic beauty to some of our favorite coins.
Not everything is “sunshine and rainbows,” however, even on coins featuring sunshine and rainbows. Some collectors feel that colorization devalues a coin. While this could be true in certain situations, there are many options out there made more valuable through the process.
At Silver Gold Bull, our goal is to ensure every purchase you make is an informed decision. This means knowing how to find the best colorized silver coins — and which ones you should avoid. By the end of this guide, you’ll easily be able to do just that.
Silver coins are among the most popular to colorize. Bright colors provide a visually striking appearance when featured on silvery-white backgrounds. These colorized coins come in a variety of styles, but they always feature either added paint or layered metals.
Layered coloring typically involves adding an extremely thin layer of platinum or gold to a coin. Unfortunately, this layer is typically just 0.003” thick. This adds nearly no value to your purchase at all and is often performed by third parties. This isn’t always the case with colorized silver coins.
While many third parties colorize coins after their minting, several government mints also issue these items. Rather than thin layers of other metals, coin colorization adds vibrant colors in a way that creates a work of art on top of currency.
The following are some of the most frequently colorized coins:
Not all these fall into the category of colorized silver coins, but they do show the wide variety of options available. Most of these don’t leave the mint, however, containing color. In fact, the U.S. Mint didn’t issue its first colorized coin until 2020 as part of a Basketball Hall of Fame series.
This may confuse some who have seen the colorized American Eagle silver coins. While some third parties do produce these, you’ll also encounter options with certificates of authenticity from federal mints. That’s because authorization for colorization occurred after minting.
That’s what makes colorized silver coins like the Basketball Hall of Fame series stand out. Their creation was intended to include colorization — it wasn’t something added after the fact. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean other colorized coins don’t still hold value.
If you look at a pristine colorized coin, it’s hard to envision anyone saying it’s damaged. After all, the original coin is still under the colorization. And since the only change is the addition of vibrant color, how could anyone see this as a negative thing?
With serious coin collectors, though, many believe that any alteration damages a coin. Of course, this is certainly true if someone adds color to a rare coin. Colorizing an item with high numismatic value is not a great idea, and cleaning it after can seriously devalue the coin.
When considering most of these items — including colorized silver coins — the idea of damage isn’t as worrisome. For instance, adding color to a common quarter from the American 50 State series will not make it worth less than $0.25.
And when you look at coins like the American silver eagle, their value relies on precious metal content. Colorizing the coin does not remove any bullion, so it can only add a measure of collectability to the item. Even colored, an ounce of silver will always be worth an ounce of silver.
Colorization brought new people into the world of coin investing and collecting. And while at-home shopping networks may have driven up demand, it’s the availability of colorized coins from reputable sources that offered the biggest benefit.
Unfortunately, many of the offerings you’ll encounter might not be what you think. If you bought the same coin from two different sources, you may get two very different products. This is why you should stick to the following rules when buying colorized silver coins:
Until recently, third-party colorization was the only option for buying colorized coins. Maybe it was the popularity of these products that tipped off governments, but now you can buy many of these coins directly from federal mints.
When you buy a colorized coin from a third-party producer, they’ve essentially painted a piece of currency to get a higher resale value. There’s no guarantee of quality when you go this route. This means it’s best to stick with government or reputable private mints.
You can find everything from colorized silver coins to gold-plated presidential quarters on at-home shopping networks. In some cases, they may even offer coins that come directly from reputable mints. Unfortunately, you’ll often end up paying more than they’re worth.
You’ve no doubt noticed the common terminology on these channels: “X easy payments of $49.99!” This appeals to many people because the payment doesn’t seem like much. Of course, these payments add up over time. Don’t pay more than you should for colorized silver coins.
There is an epidemic of fake bullion coins. Some of these coins even enter the market before minting of the genuine coins has started. This is a reason you should always buy from reputable precious metals dealers. When it comes to colorized coins, though, this is even more important.
That’s because colorization can hide what would otherwise be red flags of counterfeit coins. When you shop with established and trusted dealers, though, the likelihood of this occurring is minimal. For instance, we get all our coins at Silver Gold Bull directly from reputable mints.
You simply can’t get this guarantee when buying from fly-by-night dealers or strangers online.
Understanding that similar colorized coins can have very different values is vital for investors and collectors alike. Once you recognize this, though, choosing the best products becomes paramount. Each of the following selections offers high bullion content and beautiful colorization.
What’s the most important aspect of these coins? The fact that they all come from reputable mints. This means you won’t have to worry about third parties damaging your bullion with aftermarket practices.
The American Silver Eagle is one of the most widely available colorized silver coins. Unfortunately, that’s because third parties have been colorizing it for years. Fortunately, there are now offerings that come directly from the most reputable mints in the world.
The colorized American Silver Eagle is a dual effort from the U.S. and Perth Mints. After production occurs in the U.S., the Perth Mint inspects the coins and colorizes them through a meticulous process. This is one of the best options for colorized silver coins.
If you want to see a country that takes the colorization of silver coins seriously, you need only look to the Great White North. Canadian silver coins have long been a powerhouse in bullion investing. Once they started releasing colorized coins, though, they achieved something special.
You can find everything from colorized superhero coins to currency shaped like leaves and Mountie hats. While these may not appeal to those who want traditional coins colorized, the Royal Canadian Mint still offers the largest selection in this category.
The best way to avoid the chief complaint of colorized silver coins — the idea that colorization damages legal tender — is to buy from private mints. You won’t be able to get iconic currencies from these mints, but you can still get bullion with beautiful colors added.
Debate over the colorization of currency will no doubt rage on. Unfortunately, it’s far too often fueled by a lack of understanding. While third-party colorization can certainly devalue a coin, there are many reputable mints producing these beautiful rounds.
If you take just one lesson from this guide, it should be to buy official coins from reputable dealers. This will ensure that your investment retains value and that you’re getting a fair price. You can certainly expect to pay a premium for these coins, but the cost shouldn’t be prohibitive.
At Silver Gold Bull, we offer a variety of colorized silver coins from some of the most respected mints in the world. Our selection includes both legal tender items and collector’s pieces. Visit our Colorized Silver products page today to see the wide array of offerings our clients have.
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