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My ex-library copy is circulating among members. Country enjoyed it and passed it to Dr. Steuss.

If you'd like to read it, send him a PM. Your only cost will be to send it to the next person who wants to read it when you are done.

Thx, Ray

Its a very interesting read! I think most everyone here would enjoy reading it.

Send me a pm of the cliff note version... Please other than the silver is melted...

Copper Catcher wrote:Send me a pm of the cliff note version... Please other than the silver is melted...

PM Dr Steuss if you'd like to read it

it's really a fascinating read

[Just Posting In Here To Make It Easier To PM Me]

Copper Catcher wrote:Send me a pm of the cliff note version... Please other than the silver is melted...

I know you of all people would love to read it. The book is like 78 (I think) pages long and has some pics!

pm sent

The book has officially been spoken for.

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Copper Catcher wrote:Send me a pm of the cliff note version... Please other than the silver is melted...

Next time it's available to be borrowed, I think you should jump on the opportunity to read it.

It's not the best written book on earth (it's not going to leave you reminiscing about Steinbeck, or Vonnegut), but it tells an interesting story about a fascinating time in American history. It basically tells the story of an illegal coin melting operation in the early days of the coinage composition change. It also provides estimates (based on insider knowledge gained from illegal smelters) on the changes to remaining mintage numbers of silver coinage.

Oh, and as highroller4321 points out, it also has pictures.

I'd like to be somewhere in line! Another big melt taking place is EVERY DAY coin dealers across America send most of their foreign silver coins to the melters.

AGgressive Metal wrote:I'd like to be somewhere in line! Another big melt taking place is EVERY DAY coin dealers across America send most of their foreign silver coins to the melters.

The current "line" is scrapman1077, then Madman326, and then you Bill. Let's limit further requests at this time and we'll list it again in a few months when the current readers have finished with it. Madman... when you receive it (and finish it) you'll need to contact AGgressive Metal for his address. Bill... when you finish it, let me know and we'll repost the thread. Thanks, Ray

Great, thanks!

I just found two reasonably-priced copies and ordered them. One is supposedly signed by the author. I'll probably put it in the next KSA

natsb88 wrote:I just found two reasonably-priced copies and ordered them. One is supposedly signed by the author. I'll probably put it in the next KSA

Thats exciting...

i remember when that book was cheap and the blew up, probably because of all of us lol

sounds like someone needs to start up a realcent book of the month club!!!!!!!!!

I read it when it was first published and it is a fascinating read. At that time, the silver price broke away from it's standard $1.29/tr.oz. and this made the silver content in US 90% coins worth more than their face value. However, it was illegal to melt these coins at that time. Therefore, an underground business started up around the country. They melted these coins in massive quantities and the usual method was to add enough pure copper to the melt to reduce the silver content to 80%. That way, they could claim they were melting Canadian coins and most kept a few bags of Canadian coins lying around just in case. I knew of a guy that was a huge player in this. He claimed that he had used $60,000 worth of copper for this purpose during his melting days. As a ballpark figure, at about $.60 per pound for copper, that would mean he melted about 15 million oz of 90% coins.

These people weren't refiners and had to send the 80% bullion off to have it refined. At the time, there were rumors of several of the largest refiners being in cahoots in these operations.

If I remember right, a main purpose of the book was to show that, because of the meltdown, US silver coins were much more scarce than their mint quantities indicated. A similar thing happened to foreign silver coins in 1980 when huge quantities of them were melted down.