The High Price Of Silver Good Or Bad For Collectors?

I'm sure that no one that is presently melting coins has any idea of what they are worth numismatically and really could care less. Due to home invasions, robberies of all sorts, coin stores and coin show visitor robberies, many valuable coins are treated as just coinage. It is really highly improbably that crooks have a Red Book with them when they go to dump or sell their stuff. And by STUFF, to them that is what it is, just STUFF to be sold, melted or whatever they can or do with that STUFF. If for some reason a $3,000 or even higher valued coin was in with a robbery, the crooks just don't bother to sit down and look it up. And the jewlers or smelters that melt them also could care less of Numismatic values.
It is always difficult for coin collectors or dealers to even imagine someone melting valuable coins. But just go around asking anyone that is not a coin person the value of a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is and you would probably get $0.05. There are millions and millions of people out there right now considering melting down any coin that even slightly looks like Silver.
A good example of such stupidity was not to long ago in Chicago they osted that if you brought in any gun you would receive a $20 certificate for gym shoes. Thousands were turned in an melted down. One that was saved was an original Colt Dragoon worth aabout $7,000. Somehow a Museum curator grabbed it in time. Yet to this day on one knows how many other such rare guns were just melted since those that did the melting really didn't care.
Same with Silver coins.

I have really enjoyed this tread, lots of insight from collectors and dealers. My collecting focus over the past five years was to up grade my walkers and complete my modern commemoratives. most of the commeratives were bought below spot now and I'm glad I have almost compleated my set prior to this bubble. It is also good to replace a worn dated walker with a quality AU or BU peice knowing I have added another coin to my silver stash. I was blessed to start collecting early when silver coinage was redally found in your change and it still is a spark of pleasure when one shows up.

Great discussion and general info.

The only real drawback I see, is the potential marginalization of the casual collector, but most of those will just switch their focus imo. I think even that is more than offset by the amount of potential new collectors who are exposed to and made aware of coins in the first place, if only by the melt value. It is only a small step from there to collecting and once you get in, as we all know, you never get out.

While it's true that a thief doesn't check for rarities, most of the people that buy will check. Maybe not if they sell a silver dollar for five bucks in a bar, but that buyer isn't gonna melt it down, either.