There are numerous silver coins which command high prices from collectors. There are also numerous forgeries of these coins out there, as there is a great deal of money to be made by counterfeiters. To protect against this, coin collecting associations have developed ways of authenticating coinage. This helps to ensure that one is getting what they pay for and that fraudulent examples are removed from the market quickly.
The Morgan silver dollar is one of the most prized coins among collectors. Produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was minted to offset the potential drop in silver prices due to the discovery of the Comstock Lode. There are series of these coins which can be passed off as other, much more expensive, series, by simply removing some of the coin’s features. A silver coin can be verified as authentic if it is sold with a certificate saying as much from any of the examining authorities.
Silver coinage of a more recent vintage oftentimes comes with documents from the treasury that stamped it. These are backed by the full faith of the government represented by that treasury. This is one of the reasons that coins such as American Silver Eagle coins are so popular. Because the minting process is well-documented, modern and very hard to replicate, the coins are generally a safe investment. Fraudulent coins have been greatly reduced in number since certified coins came on the market, much to the delight of collectors.