it is really amazing that coins with all their age. worksmanship and beauty sell for so little above the value of the metal they contain. but it happens and it's true that if and when silver prices go up you will still have won out in the long run.
I have never melted a coin other than out of curiousity when I was a younger prospector learning to melt and assay (i used a couple 1964 quarters). I think if you are able to buy stuff now you are in a good position for the future. I wish things were actually affordable when I started, I would have built a better collection earlier.