https://www.wsj.com/finance/commodities-futures/silver-prices-surge-8afe2e4b?mod=hp_lead_pos9
Surging Silver Prices Prompt Americans to Empty Jewelry Boxes and Coin Jars
Strong industrial demand brings the precious metal’s highest price levels in more than a decade
By Roshan Fernandez, The Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2025
Gold gets all the glory, but silver prices have surged nearly as much this year, up 27% to the highest levels in more than a decade.
As with gold, jittery investors are scooping up the precious metal, but silver prices are getting an extra jolt from strong industrial demand, especially from solar-panel makers.
Unlike gold, which is used mostly as a store of wealth and in jewelry, the bulk of silver demand, about 80%, comes from manufacturers…
Demand from industrial buyers has yet to slow. Silver consumption for cutlery and electronics has remained steady, while demand from solar-panel manufacturers has kept growing…
There is a risk that demand from the solar sector, especially in China, was pulled forward ahead of trade restrictions and changes to U.S. energy policy, and that there could be a hangover in the second half of the year…
Silver’s rally has made it worth the effort to sift through coin jars looking for old dimes, quarters and half dollars. The melt value of 25-cent coins minted from before 1965, when they were made of silver, is more than $6.50. … [end quote]
I remember using the beautiful silver Mercury dime when U.S. currency actually meant something and a Hershey bar could be bought for a nickel.
When DH and I got married I insisted that he sign a ketubah, the traditional Jewish marriage document. The book we consulted mentioned 100 zuzim to be due to the wife should the husband divorce her. DH reasonably asked what zuzim are. I didn’t know exactly but I knew that they were a silver coin and there is a song (Chad Gadya) which mentions that a kid goat could be bought for 2 zuzim.
To my surprise, DH presented me with a box of 100 one-ounce silver coins at our wedding, each in an individual snug plastic case. He suggested that I give one to each guest. I refused. These were my zuzim to be used in case of emergency later. They are still in my safe deposit box. When we were married the price of silver was under $5 an ounce.
DH is pressuring me to sell my precious metals. I refuse. I am not holding them for capital gains. They are insurance against a worst-case scenario. Fiat currencies may collapse but silver and gold coins will always hold value.
Wendy