# Silver round **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847 "2009-07-31T04:27:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/1 "2009-07-31T04:27:47Z")
I just found in a drawer four silver “rounds”, 1 troy ounce each, from 1974, marked “World Trade Unit”. On one side is a balance scale, on the other side the two hemispheres of the globe. As I understand it, these are generally worth only the price of the silver itself, which is currently US $13.48/oz. What is the easiest way to sell these? Coin dealer? Bank? eBay? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/2 "2009-07-31T06:33:41Z")
Not a bank. Coin dealer or eBay. On eBay they go for $12.50 - $16.00. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/3 "2009-07-31T08:10:20Z")
Damn you, now I’m curious: Where do these things come from and why are they called ‘rounds’ instead of ‘coins’ or ‘tokens’? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/4 "2009-07-31T10:22:10Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Damn you, now I’m curious: Where do these things come from and why are they called ‘rounds’ instead of ‘coins’ or ‘tokens’? They are called units…[http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-1330.html](http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-1330.html) They were actually made by any number of mints, and were sort of a funky concept … sort of trying to get investors to buy those instead of the cute little ingots as investment pieces. People have always liked buying bullion as a way to keep money around that wont devalue in a war zone =) Though I always though that an official government ingot would be better as they are recognizable =) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/5 "2009-07-31T10:37:11Z")
We buy them from the public(currently) at .25 under the spot price of silver. Silver this AM is $13.60/ounce US. Expect to get between $12.00 and 13.50 from a coin dealer, depending on the competition in your area. Make a few calls. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/6 "2009-08-02T23:47:03Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > We buy them from the public(currently) at .25 under the spot price of silver. > > Silver this AM is $13.60/ounce US. > > Expect to get between $12.00 and 13.50 from a coin dealer, depending on the competition in your area. Make a few calls. Slightly off topic. Last week I saw an ad for a company selling old US gold coins supposedly found in a European bank vault. Seems bogus but you never know. Any idea if this is true or just another scam? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/7 "2009-08-02T23:53:17Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > We buy them from the public(currently) at .25 under the spot price of silver. > > Silver this AM is $13.60/ounce US. > > Expect to get between $12.00 and 13.50 from a coin dealer, depending on the competition in your area. Make a few calls. The one coin dealer I have called so far kept asking me, “Only four?” He grudgingly offered me $8 each. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/8 "2009-08-02T23:54:57Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > Slightly off topic. Last week I saw an ad for a company selling old US gold coins supposedly found in a European bank vault. Seems bogus but you never know. > > Any idea if this is true or just another scam? It could certainly be true, as long as the only thing they’re claiming is that these are old US gold coins that were stored in a European bank vault. Doesn’t that seem plausible to you? (Now, I would be skeptical of any claims that the coins were worth more than their bullion value.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/9 "2009-08-03T01:18:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It could certainly be true, as long as the only thing they’re claiming is that these are old US gold coins that were stored in a European bank vault. Doesn’t that seem plausible to you? (Now, I would be skeptical of any claims that the coins were worth more than their bullion value.) Well, any old real US Gold Coins (in decent shape) are worth at least a little more than their bullion value. But often they are priced at a very large mark up. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silver-round/504847/10 "2009-08-03T03:17:01Z")
Sometimes a lot more, but they just might be more trouble than they’re worth: [http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20090731\_ap\_usmintmustseekcourtoktokeeprare1933coins.html](http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20090731_ap_usmintmustseekcourtoktokeeprare1933coins.html)