It did not take government mints long to figure out they could make money by producing special coins and selling them to collectors. The US mint started doing this in the late 1800s and several popular and successful commemorative coin programs ensued. This practice is not limited to the US government. Most countries today issue commemorative coins and sell them to collectors. In fact, some island nations make commemorative coins a primary source of government income.

Shawn's George Washington commem is the first of the so-called 'modern commemoratives,' picking up where the prior program left off 1951. It carries a small collector premium over its basic silver value.

At today's silver prices, the basic silver value is substantial. The coin contains 0.361 troy ounces of silver. Using today's price (according to kitco.com) of $43 US dollars per ounce, the basic value is $15.50. Tomorrow the silver price will be different, so you must look it up. To the basic silver value, add a few US dollars to account for collector desirability.

Shawn mentions some deformities on the reverse of his coin. I do not know of any minting imperfections in these coins. It is likely that they were added to the coin after minting. If this is true, there is no effect on value. If they are 'minted into' the coin, they will add collector values. Send us a picture, Shawn, if you like, and we will try to figure it out. Use our Contact Us page to start an e-mail exchange.