Silver Greek Phoenix

When Greece finally broke free from Ottoman rule in 1828, an air of expectation and new hope swept the young state. Among the most pressing things, there was a need for a new currency. To celebrate her independence, Governor John Capodistria launched the silver Greek Phoenix, the first currency in modern Greece. The official value of the coin was the lepton and it could be exchanged for a French Franc.

To understand why the phoenix was used on the coin, a little knowledge of the mythical bird is necessary. According to Egyptian mythology, the phoenix was related to the worship of the sun. Dressed in most brilliant feathers of crimson and gold, the phoenix’s cry was so mesmerizing that the sun-god Re would be entranced, stopping his chariot to enjoy the melody. At the end of the phoenix’s life, it would set fire to its nest, and then be consumed by the flames. That’s not the end of the phoenix but rather, the beginning. A new phoenix rises from the ashes of the old. This signifies the rise of a new Greece.

In its lifetime, only 12,000 silver Greek Phoenix coins were ever struck. This was due to a lack of silver in Greece at that time. Yet, the Phoenix is a majestic coin. On the obverse, a wreath of olive is featured prominently. The year of coinage can be found at the bottom. On the reverse, a phoenix is seen rising from a nest of flames. Slightly above the phoenix is the cross which is the national symbol of Greece. On the outer band, there are the words “Hellenic State” and the year “1821″ which marks the Greek Revolution. A six-pointed star is found above the cross. Then, there’s an anchor and the infinity sign on either side of “1821″.

In 1832, the silver Greek Phoenix was replaced by the Greek drachma featuring a portrait of King Otto. Today, the Phoenix is quite a rare coin. Its historical implications and symbolic meanings make it all the more special. In fact, some people use it as a lucky charm of sorts. If you possess the silver Greek Phoenix or some other silver items, you will be wise to contact a good silver buyer who pays top dollar for silver. This way, you can receive instant cash for silver!

The First US Silver Dollars

After the Coinage Act of 1792 was passed, the United States Mint started to produce the first US silver dollars from 1794 up to 1803. Containing 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, there were 1,758 minted in 1794 and it’s believed that there are only about 200 of these 1794 silver dollars remaining in the world now.

Designed by Robert Scot, the original “Chief Engraver of the United States Mint”, the 1794 silver dollar features the right profile of Lady Liberty on the obverse. Here, she can be seen with free flowing shoulder length hair, without her crown. For this reason, the 1794 and 1795 silver dollars are also known as “Flowing Hair” silver dollars to coin collectors. On top of her head is the word “LIBERTY” and below is the year of coinage. A number of six-pointed stars on both sides make up the rest of the circle. On the reverse, there’s a bald eagle encircled by a wreath with the words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” forming the outer ring.

In 1795, there were about 160,000 of the Flowing Hair Silver dollars minted. In the middle of 1795, the “Draped Bust” Silver dollars replaced the Flowing Hair design. The Draped Bust Silver Dollar features a more sexy profile of Lady Liberty where her cleavage is prominent. There’s also some sort of a hair band to make her appear more wild and patriotic. The other elements on the obverse remain much the same.

In 1798, the smaller bald eagle on the reverse was replaced by a more emblamatic version, running up to 1803. This time, the wings of the eagle spread more majestically, carrying a banner with the words “E PLURIBUS UNUM”. There’s a badge of horizontal and vertical lines shielding the eagle’s body. The right talons are clutching a bunch of arrows and the left talons are clutching a branch of olive. Somehow, the eagle looks more angry and symbolic in this version. A cluster of five-pointed stars appears above the eagle’s head and there’s a band of clouds above the stars.

For some reason, the American public of those times didn’t really embrace the silver dollar coins. As a result, the highest number of the earliest US silver dollars minted for circulation was only 423,515 in 1799. Proofs of these issues of the earliest silver dollars are extremely rare with only 40 estimated to be minted from 1801 to 1804. While it’s unlikely that you have a silver dollar from 1794 to 1803, you can sell your silver and get instant cash for silver. Here, you will find a silver buyer who pays the best rates for silver.

The 400,000 Silver Dollar Man

This is a fascinating story of a real modern Scrooge. At the time of his death in 1974, Lavere Redfield had accumulated a fortune of more than USD 100 million. When the folks from the IRS searched his house, they uncovered more than 400 bags of silver dollars in a secret basement, hidden behind a fake wall. Since each bag contained a thousand silver dollars, there were more than 400,000 silver dollars in the fascinating Redfield Hoard.

Born sometime at the beginning of the 20th century, Lavere Redfield started out as a potato farmer. Despite his early disadvantage, Redfield’s frugality and iron-fisted grip on money ensured that he had more than enough to outlast the rainy days. A hawk-eyed investor, he saw a golden opportunity during the Depression when he moved to California and bought numerous blocks of “junk” stocks. When the economy recovered, Redfield became a very wealthy man.

Later, Redfield moved to Reno where he ventured into real estate and increased his fortune. Fuelled by his rows with the IRS, he developed a strong distrust of banks, detested the government, and banknotes. On many occasions, Redfield would pop into a bank and buy a mint bag of 1,000 silver dollars. In those days, you could buy a silver dollar for a dollar. The casinos in Reno ensured that Redfield would have an endless supply of silver dollars. Then, he would load the silver dollars into his old pickup truck and drive to his stone house where he dropped them into his secret basement. 

If Redfield’s house had not been burglarized, the Redfield Hoard would probably count for more than 600,000 silver dollars. While the bulk of the 400,000 silver dollars discovered by the IRS were Morgan dollars, there were some Peace dollars as well. Roughly, the entire lot weighed an astonishing 11 tons! Redfield must have loved the sound of his silver dollars crashing into the basement, one thousand pieces at a time. At the auction, the Redfield Hoard was sold for USD 7.3 million to Steve Markoff. Then, the silver coins were sold to the public over three years. It was revealed that the actual market value of the silver coins was in the region of USD 20 million.

Thinking about the Redfield Hoard, it makes you wonder why a man will stash away such a fortune of silver dollars. At the end of his life, Lavere Redfield still dressed like a potato farmer and drove that jalopy pickup when he could have lived like a mogul. Why? Perhaps, he waited too long for a good silver buyer to pay the best rates for silver. Now, you don’t have to make the same mistake. If you want to sell silver, you can get instant cash for silver.

Will Sterling Silver Wedding Rings Catch On?

When it comes to jewelry, some metals take hold for certain purposes and it seems as if other metals do not stand a chance. But as is often the case in life, things do not stay the same forever.

For an untold number of years gold has been the metal of choice for wedding rings. Gold represented quality, durability and quality. Many brides could not imagine getting a ring made with a metal other than gold and many grooms would not have thought to give anything but gold.

And for a long time, yellow gold was the gold of choice for wedding rings. Although in the last half century or so, some people have turned to white gold instead. Read more

Cash for Gold | Gold Jewelry

The Cash for Gold concept has been running for many years now and with the latest economic struggles, the gold prices as well as prices for platinum have increased dramatically. You have the best opportunity now more than ever to get paid for your gold items like gold watches, broken gold, gold jewelry, gold coins and scrap gold items. Things that you think have no value or can just be thrown away might very well have a value to the refinery of CJ Environmental who run the Cash for Gold program. Read more

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