# Liberty dollars **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberty-dollars/499519 "2009-06-12T02:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberty-dollars/499519/1 "2009-06-12T02:27:32Z")
20 years ago I got stuff in gas bills that touted “Liberty Dollars”–Silver Dollars with the statue on them, or.at least the liberty head. Now I’m getting junk mail about the urgent need to buy into these silver dollars. At this point it sounds like a scam. What are their real worth? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberty-dollars/499519/2 "2009-06-12T02:40:02Z")
Assuming they aren’t any of the ones actually prized by coin collectors, they’re basically worth their weight in silver. If my math is correct, they contain about .77 oz. of silver, which is about $15.49/oz. In other words, roughly $12. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberty-dollars/499519/3 "2009-06-12T02:49:43Z")
I’m assuming you’re talking about [Morgan Silver Dollars](http://www.coinfacts.com/silver_dollars/morgan_dollars/morgan_silver_dollars.html), and not the illegal [Liberty Dollars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Dollar) touted by [crazies](http://www.libertydollar.org/). I suspect that a lot of the ones that are being pitched to non-collectors have condition problems that would make them much less desirable to serious collectors. They’re not very rare, especially when you hit the 1921 issue. So yeah, the value of the silver they contain pretty much sums it up. Whenever gold or silver prices have a big run-up, there’s a push to sell gold and silver coins to unsuspecting folks. That’s almost a sure sign that the price will be heading down soon. That’s why the people holding them are trying to dump them - they want to cash in at the top. Look at the historical [price charts](http://silverprice.org/silver-price-history.html). The time to buy silver was 5 or more years ago. Not now. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberty-dollars/499519/4 "2009-06-12T02:58:52Z")
> [@Doug\_Bowe](#): > > 20 years ago I got stuff in gas bills that touted “Liberty Dollars”–Silver Dollars with the statue on them, or.at least the liberty head. > Now I’m getting junk mail about the urgent need to buy into these silver dollars. At this point it sounds like a scam. > What are their real worth? I’m gonna suggest they are the Statue of LIberty dollars put out by the U.S. Mint in 1986. Very plentiful supply in the coin market. Overproduced, in fact. Perfect to sell to people who don’t know better. We currently buy them at about $11/sell at $15. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberty-dollars/499519/5 "2009-06-12T04:02:51Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I’m gonna suggest they are the Statue of LIberty dollars put out by the U.S. Mint in 1986. Very plentiful supply in the coin market. Overproduced, in fact. Perfect to sell to people who don’t know better. I had forgotten about those. Of course, if you can find some that have been painted red, white, and blue by Mrs. Ferguson’s Mint and Aluminum Storm Door Company, those are worth a whole lot more. :rolleyes: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberty-dollars/499519/6 "2009-06-12T04:33:11Z")
> [@Early\_Out](#): > > I had forgotten about those. Of course, if you can find some that have been painted red, white, and blue by Mrs. Ferguson’s Mint and Aluminum Storm Door Company, those are worth a whole lot more. :rolleyes: 😃 That would of course be the _Grace L. Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Company_ per Bob Newhart. I have that album. Interesting aside: I buy used coins and jewelry from dozens of people every day. I have to get their driver’s license when they sell. I get to see their name, etc. I got one late last year from a lady named Grace L. Ferguson. No, I’m not making that up. I said to her–"I’m sure you have this brought up all the time, don’t you? Bob Newhart. She was probably my age, about 60 or so and said yes. I bought from Richard Carlson today. 🙂 \* \*Points for anyone who remembers the 1950s series from memory.