Despite its name, junk silver is not junk. The term junk silver refers to coins minted in the United States before 1965. These are coins that contain 90% silver and 10% copper. The US government stopped minting 90% silver coins in 1964, but continued to mint 40% silver half dollars between 1965 and 1970.

The first reason this is the best precious metal to buy is its affordability.

You don’t have to have a lot of money to buy it. In fact, you can buy it for as little as a penny on eBay. As with anything, the premium you pay will be higher when you buy it in smaller quantities. It is bought and sold in increments of $1.00 face value. 10 dimes sell for the same as 4 quarters or 1 half dollar and 5 dimes. Any combination of coins totaling a face value of $1.00 weighs the same when minted and has the same silver content.

The second reason is because it is easily recognizable.

Most people around the world have seen a US quarter, dime, or half dollar. This is very useful when it comes time to authenticate on the go. This is what makes it so valuable in times of economic crisis. You can use it to transact every day without fear of the coins being rejected because the seller does know if it is authentic or not.

The third reason is because it comes in small enough quantities to use for everyday purchases when bartering.

The last thing you want in an economic crisis is to have bullion worth more than $1000 per coin when you need to buy a loaf of bread. Today, 90% silver dimes are worth $2.95 if you buy one and $1.50 if you buy 10. Similarly, you can buy a single quarter for $5.75 and $1.50. 3.75 if you buy 10. For this reason alone, you should buy scrap silver first and only. When you have a reserve that will last you 1 year (minimum) you should start buying less recognizable gold and silver bullion.

In short, junk silver is the best precious metal to buy because it is affordable, easily recognizable, and comes in quantities small enough to be used in everyday transactions.