How many ounces of silver you think was worn off during circulation?

Marauderrt10

I always wondered how many ounces were worn off from all the years of coins circulating. I would think it would be a very high number.

Baley

and where did it go??

cladking

The amount worn off is insubstantial to the amount lost.

Loss has probably averaged about 1% annually since 600 BC and wear accounts for, perhaps, 10% as much.

Marauderrt10

<< <i>and where did it go?? >>

thats what i want to know. thousands of ounces of silver dont just vanish

cladking

<< <i>

<< <i>and where did it go?? >>

thats what i want to know. thousands of ounces of silver dont just vanish >>



Like most things a disproportionate amount washed out to sea.

ricko

It would only be meaningful if one could assemble it in one location. Since this is not possible, trying to define the quantity is an exercise in futility. Cheers, RickO

PerryHall

It would be impossible to ever know.

Coinosaurus

Probably a lot of it just wore off onto people's hands, and then washed down the drain.

As for the total, I would add up all the mintage figures in the Redbook & then multiply by 1%.

By the way, sea water contains gazillions of dollars worth of gold, but extracting it is exceedingly complicated.......

CaptHenway

FWIW, I once weighed some slick silver dollars, and found that they had lost about 7% of their original weight.

Silver lost to circulation becomes a fine powder that simply settles to the ground or gets washed away when your pants pockets get washed.

TD

ambro51

Silver has the amazing property of being an extremely efficent anti-bacterial agent. No doubt...in the future, when present medications have been overused to the point of bacteria developing increased resistance, Silver will reeapear on the Medical front, as the "next new thing"

I do believe that the people of the past generations benefited by this absorbtion of silver into the body....through the skin, from the wear of silver coins in the pocket.

During several periods of our nations coinage, silver coins would NOT freely circulate unless worn to a certain degree.

Robb

<< <i>Silver has the amazing property of being an extremely efficent anti-bacterial agent. No doubt...in the future, when present medications have been overused to the point of bacteria developing increased resistance, Silver will reeapear on the Medical front, as the "next new thing"

I do believe that the people of the past generations benefited by this absorbtion of silver into the body....through the skin, from the wear of silver coins in the pocket.
>>

PawPaul

It would seem if your talking worldwide , Roman times till post 1964 ..........

the number should be in the millions of ounces

SeaEagleCoins

1,524,684.23 oz.


edited to add... go ahead and prove me wrong... I'd like to see ya try...

grip

Many moons ago when I was an x-ray tech there was this person that would
empty the solutions in exchange for the silver .I think it was the developer.

kaz

The silver accumulates in the fixer, which can be reclaimed through an electrical reaction. Silver's antibacterial properties are well known; one example is the cream used on burns, silver sulfadiazene (Silvadene). Silver impregnated bladder catheters are also being studied to see if they will inhibit urinary infections with long term use.

grip

Thank's Kaz it was the fixer.

cladking

<< <i>1,524,684.23 oz.


edited to add... go ahead and prove me wrong... I'd like to see ya try... >>




OK. I'll wing it.

Loss is difficult to get a feel for because of wars and the tendency of people to
hide money by burying it. Making a few basic assumptions should give a reas-
onble ball park figure. About half the silver ever coined was in US dimes and
quarters since 1945 which amounts to some 275 million ounces.

Most silver in history was subjected to significant wear before its retirement so
figure maybe 3.5% loss per coin so 10 million ounces lost to wear should be in
the right ballpark. I'd guess at least 200,000,000 in coins that have been per-
manently lost or destroyed utterly and there are still a lot in the ground or un-
der the sea that will be retrieved eventually.

There's also a little "shrinkage" in the silver recovered by the issuer due to holes
in the coinage and other forms of mutilation like cutting and sweating. This num-
ber is fairly substantial because it affects a lot of recovered coins but might not
exceed a million ounces in aggregate.

These estimates may be a little low.

KCC

+1

SeaEagleCoins

<< <i>

<< <i>1,524,684.23 oz.


edited to add... go ahead and prove me wrong... I'd like to see ya try... >>




OK. I'll wing it.

Loss is difficult to get a feel for because of wars and the tendency of people to
hide money by burying it. Making a few basic assumptions should give a reas-
onble ball park figure. About half the silver ever coined was in US dimes and
quarters since 1945 which amounts to some 275 million ounces.

Most silver in history was subjected to significant wear before its retirement so
figure maybe 3.5% loss per coin so 10 million ounces lost to wear should be in
the right ballpark. I'd guess at least 200,000,000 in coins that have been per-
manently lost or destroyed utterly and there are still a lot in the ground or un-
der the sea that will be retrieved eventually.

There's also a little "shrinkage" in the silver recovered by the issuer due to holes
in the coinage and other forms of mutilation like cutting and sweating. This num-
ber is fairly substantial because it affects a lot of recovered coins but might not
exceed a million ounces in aggregate.

These estimates may be a little low. >>



While I follow your logic and deductions, please keep in mind that the original question was "How much was worn off during circulation?"... my answer was in response to that... not to include other "loss" that may have occured...

So there...

cladking

<< <i>

While I follow your logic and deductions, please keep in mind that the original question was "How much was worn off during circulation?"... my answer was in response to that... not to include other "loss" that may have occured...

>>




In reference strictly to US coins your number is probably spot on.