Junk silver coins may be the next gold rush for those looking for an affordable way to hedge against the global finacial market. Gold investors who are savy on precious metal investment have been ...

A: Your coins are known in numismatic circles as "junk silver," Joe Frisard of Houston-based Stanford Coins & Bullion said. But that does not mean they are worthless.

So-called "junk silver" is made up of 90% pure silver and 10% copper. However, because these pre-1965 coins were in circulation for decades, they've lost some of their weight along the way.

How much has the government devalued our coins? Just how much have U.S. coins depreciated since Johnson’s inauspicious act? The melt value of a pre-1965 silver quarter is currently $5.15.