The term “coin silver” can be coins or other items such as flatware, hollowware, or jewelry that consists of approximately 90% silver by weight. The term derives from originally melting coins to make other items.
You can have coin silver jewelry made from the melting of 90% silver content coins; or, coin silver jewelry made with 90% silver content coins in their original coin state.
In Native American jewelry history, starting with Navajo smiths, coin silver is specifically the alloy based on melting old US or Mexican coins, or a mixture of those. The color of early Navajo silver reflects this, with it looking a bit more yellow or more blue depending on the coinage.
Hi @chicfarmer, I’m very interested in your comment. Would you happen to have any photos to post of examples that you believe could reflect the blue/ yellow variation? I have some pieces I’ve wondered about and I’d like to compare.
It would be hard to photograph; the color differences are subtle. I’ll try to see how my oldest pieces show up, and will add pics–once the lighting isn’t so gloomy!
Hi Tara,
Following up: If you have pieces you have questions about concerning their age and probable type of silver, maybe you could start a separate thread and we can discuss? I will try to add some photos but it’s also good to browse the decent online resources for early ingot and coin silver Navajo work. Thinking of, for ex., the Barnes Foundation, the Doneghy Collection, Turkey Mountain Traders, Shiprock Santa Fe–as resources to look at the color of the silver, to see if it shades cooler vs. warmer.
From Margery Bedinger’s Indian Silver, p. 46 (1973 hardbound), on US coins vs. Mexican coins contributing to color difference in early silver, and how this changed.
An update- found a note of my father’s from when he purchased the squash blossom: 62 pre-1964 silver dimes, 36 pre-1964 silver quarters, 11 silver squash blossoms. Just FYI 
Hey, that’s really cool! So when did he purchase it?
It would have been in the mid-90s, he bought it from Pat Read’s daughter. She said it had been in her father’s collection, and he died in 1974.
That’s good because it proves that it’s got some age to it. Now we know that it had to be prior to 1974. That’s a real plus because a lot of them are being made currently. I personally think the vintage ones have more character.
An update, I’ve found out this was purchased from a granddaughter by marriage of Pat Read’s, who inherited it in the 90s. Info says it predates 1970 and is probably much older.
How would we go about getting this evaluated as part of the estate, any suggestions?
Thanks all!
