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The Chinese Silver Dragon Coins has been known, for centuries, to be one of the oldest coins to have ever been produced, designed, and distributed across the country as official currency. It serves as one of the few coins in which folks identified China and its flourishing economy with, being one of the very first few silver coins to have ever been produced back in 1889.

This was during the time when the 1st modern coining press was introduced and imported into China. From that point, the coins were circulated and had the value of 7 Mace and 2 Candareens. These two values were what the people then used as standard units for silver, which were measurable by weight.

If you’re going to look for exact authentic Chinese Silver Dragon Coin, it is important that you remember the different characteristics of these silver coins. A real Chinese silver dragon coin would usually have a weight measurement of 27.4 grams with an amount of 0.78 ounce of silver.

The design incorporates a Chinese dragon engraved in the middle with the words 7 Mace and two Candareens at the base of the image. On top of the dragon is the Hu-Peh Province, which most historians believed to be the place where the coins were made. These coins were circulated between 1898 and 1905 and were popularly known as Kiang-Nan bucks and would usually cost many hundred greenbacks when bought from a reputable coin dealer or collector.

Because of their magnificient history, these coins are bound to produce fakes in the numerous markets around China as well as around the planet. The cost of fake coins would usually range between three RMB to US $10-15 when bought through an internet auction site, for instance. If it’s the true Chinese Silver Dragon Coin that you are looking for, another way to judge the authenticity is the crude weight, which is usually heavy.

The very first lot of silver coins to be produced in America took place in 1794. since that time the US government has minted several noteworthy batches at different points in it’s history.

The term silver dollar is a general name given to any coin made from silver that is minted in the US. In actual fact the face value of the coin does not have to be one dollar.

Conversely, there are some people who hold firm to the idea that only those coins minted with a face value of one dollar can be termed as silver dollars, even though in actual fact those coins are worth a lot more than that in modern times.

The 1804 coin was actually a result of a book keeping error but over the years it has established quite a reputation. The 1804 silver dollar coin is now the undisputed king of all silver dollar coins from the US. This coin was actually struck in 1804 but bears the date of 1803.

It is ironic to know that none of the dollars that the year the dollars were minted is actually different from the year that has been stamped on the coins. The 1804 silver dollar coin was reproduced in 1834 when the government decided it would use these coins in a set to be given as a gift to Asian rulers.

Today there are only fifteen silver dollar coins in the world that bare the date of 1804 which makes them incredibly special. In fact about a decade ago one of these coins was sold at an auction for almost four million dollars.

The seated liberty dollar was first minted in 1840. Although initially quite popular it was gradually replaced by more recent issues that came several years later.

Its important to remember that at this time one dollar was a lot of money and the silver used to make the actual coin cost less than one dollar. Sooner or later however all this changed and it got to the point where the silver content was actually worth more than the coin itself.

The silver dollar was the preferred currency with many merchants in Asia where it stayed on in use while it’s popularity in the Us dwindled. This changed in the 1870′s when due to a fall in silver prices the silver dollar came back into use in the US again.

The silver trade dollar was a popular currency when most of the major powers in the world were relying on the minting and issuance of silver coins to fund their empires activities. Britain, Spain and France all minted their own silver coins.

The fact that there was so much global competition made it imperative that the US assure the high quality of their own coins. It is for this reason that the US silver dollar trade coin is made with a higher purity of silver than other coins.

The vast majority of trade dollars made their way into Asia during the initial years of their minting. They were highly successful in meeting their objectives.

These dollar coins were never circulated inside the United States. However they did have a face value of $5 in the market.

The Capped Bust Silver Quarter was the immediate successors of the equally rare draped bust silver quarters which started minting in 1796. These silver quarters were first minted in 1815 and count among the rarest coins ever minted in the United States. These two particular silver quarter types were minted as a replacement for the Spanish two-reales coin circulating in the Americas at that time, by the fledging U.S. government.

The Capped Bust Silver Quarter carried the same design as the other coins, like the half dollar, minted during that time. Production of these quarters went on until 1838, and these coins together with the draped bust quarter, have been named by numismatists as the “Early Quarters” commanding premium prices among coin collectors.

Other key years to look out for when scouting for the Early Quarters are 1823, 1804 and 1796. Notably from 1804 onwards, the reverse side of the Early Quarters sported a bigger, “heraldic” eagle, suggestive of strength and power that collectors and numismatists appreciate over coins of earlier vintage which had smaller eagle designs.

It is a sound advice that before buying a Capped Bust Silver Quarter or any of the Early Quarters, the buyer must have an assurance that these items have certification of authenticity from reputable numismatist groups or associations like the ANACS, NGC, PCGS and ICG. Another is to deal only with reputable dealers.

A useful website for reference on the capped bust silver quarter can be found in the net. This site carries a legitimate eBay auction listing of Early Quarters and their key dates. Through this listing, a prospective buyer could check the trend of the pricing, and compare various price levels within years, comparative data that are useful to the serious collector or dedicated numismatist.