Realcent.org

For decades, the Treasury had been a net buyer of silver. By 1960, it had become a net seller. In 1960, the Treasury sold 22 million ounces of silver in bullion form, and used another 46 million ounces in coinage. The next year the Treasury had to sell 63 million ounces of bullion and use another 56 million ounces to replace silver coins that had been taken out of circulation by investors. That year, 1961, the Treasury realized that it would run out of silver for use in coinage and as a reserve against silver certificates unless it took drastic measures to begin phasing silver out of currency. In 1961, the Treasury ordered $5 and $10 silver certificates out of circulation, freeing silver reserves held against these bills and reducing the public’s call on Treasury silver. In November 1961 the government also suspended silver bullion sales by the Treasury at the formerly fixed price of 91 cents.

Once the Treasury stopped selling at that price, market quotes for silver quickly rose. In June 1963 the Treasury also replaced the $1 silver certificate with Federal Reserve notes. By 1963, silver prices reached $1.29, the monetary value of silver in coinage. At prices above this level, holders of silver certificates would have been able to redeem them for more valuable silver, under the now-defunct silver certificate legislation. (The other trigger price the Treasury worried about was $1.38, at which level it was profitable to recycle coinage for its silver content.)

cupronickel wrote:I know the nickel's melt value exceeded the face value recently. Yet they continue to produce them. I was trying to find out if this has happened in the past, or has happened in other countries. I just don't understand why they would keep producing them at a loss.