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Whereas most precious metal investors almost exclusively buy brilliant uncirculated coins as that allows them to accumulate the largest precious metal amount for the lowest possible, some buyers also occasionally buy coins with other finishes. One type of coin finish that has been growing in popularity in recent times is the aged look of antiqued silver coins.

In simple words, the difference between antique silver coins and antiqued silver coins is that the former really are old whereas the latter were only made to look old through a special production technique called antiquing. Before I explain this technique below, I suggest all readers of this article to watch this short video by Australia’s Perth Mint first. After all, the Perth Mint is one of the primary renowned mints in the world that has achieved success in the collectible coin market with the various silver coins it issued in recent years that feature an antique finish.

Antiqued Silver Coins by Australia’s Perth Mint

The most recent of those is the 2 oz antiqued Australian Lunar silver coin that is still available for purchase under this link. Back in 2016, the Perth Mint even issued high relief antiqued silver coins that are a part of the mint’s famous Australian Kangaroo bullion coin series but those 2 oz coins have long since sold out. Various other collectible antiqued silver coins are still available though, so numismatists may find it well worth the time to browse through the Perth Mint’s online coin catalog.

These 2 oz antiqued silver coins that are a part of the 3rd Australian Lunar coin series are still available for purchase online!

Whereas the process of antiquing can even be done at home, the Perth Mint has of course somewhat industrialized the process. However, large parts of the process have to be done individually by hand. After the coins have been bathed in a corrosive substance (and then rinsed), the surface of the coins is manually roughed up by sandpaper and each coin’s abrasions (that make the coin look aged) are created individually by a worker quickly grinding a portion of the coin’s surface. The antique finish will therefore look unique for each individual coin!

Antiquing a coin is therefore quite different than applying one of the other finishes that are popular with collectible coins. After all, when buying for example a proof or reverse proof coin, each buyer expects each coin to have exactly the same finish. Numismatists that are looking for ways to give their coin collection are more unique and individual feel might therefore consider adding some antiqued silver coins to their stash of collectible coins!