It certainly is an interesting time. Gold and Silver have been on a ride the last 8 to 10 years, where many people still don't even see them on their radar as investment opportunities.

Metals are a special type of commodities which offer a way to safely retain your wealth, accumulate more wealth, and if times get bad, can easily become the stars in a system of bartering.

What many people do not realize is that they might possibly have a small fortune of commodity metals such as silver and copper in their homes right now and not even know it.

I would like to share with you some great tips on how to you might find more than financial security, but financial wealth which could be lying right under your nose.

How are metals valued? By percent of purity and weight. Meaning, what percentages of silver is in a coin or material and how much does it weigh.

All great civilizations have fallen mainly due to the fact that the civilization removed themselves from the Gold standard and began creating and printing fiat currencies with no actual backing, and in the end, after the fiat tumble, gold and other metals such as silver and even copper have once again became the monetary standard.

Many postulate that if this happens again, every merchant will have a scale, and once your percent of purity is identified, the weight will determine the value.

Tip #1...Sterling Silver Flatware

Do you have sterling silver flatware around the house? Did you know that it is approximately 90% silver.

What if the dollar became totally devalued...how could you utilize sterling silver? A shop owner would recognize it as sterling silver and not silver plate, and weigh it to figure out the value.

For instance, you walk in with an ounce of sterling silver flatware. Say silver is going for $100/ounce, than the owner might give you 80 or 90 percent of that, thus you would not have the buying power for $80 or $90 dollars worth of goods.

How does one recognize sterling silver from plate silver? First of all it will often be inscribed in the wear. Secondly, plate silver you can scratch into to see that it is just a silver coating.

Tip #2...Dimes, Nickels and Quarters coined in 1964 and prior

Time to go smash open the piggy bank. In 1964 the US government ran out of silver and began making coins with a mixture of copper and other metals. But before that, the coins were 90% silver.

So say you have $49 dollars worth of dimes (490 dimes) created in 1964 or prior. The real value can be a lot higher. Those 490 dimes (90% Silver content) would weigh approximately 38 ounces, and 90% of that would equal 34 ounces of real silver. At today's rate of $30/ounce of silver, which the true value of those 490 dimes would then be approximately $1020, and yes, you can go to a gold/silver dealer and sell them for that.

Tip #3...Pennies 1982 and prior

In 1983 a similar thing happened with creating pennies. If you have a penny from 1982 and prior it is made of 95% copper...1983 and after, 97.5% zinc with only a thin copper plating.

As of today, copper has risen from$3.80 to $4.29 per pound in just 30 days. You will certainly see copper become more expensive in utilization of copper specific industrial demand such as; building, plumbing, and power, thus causing a trickle down effect to said prices in industries.

Just look at the math. One pound of pennies coined in 1983 to present = 181 pennies. At 99% Zinc and 1% copper, value approx. $.043 in copper. One pound of pennies coined 1982 and prior = 146 pennies. At 95% copper value approx. $4.07 in copper.

So as you can see, there is an inherent value above and beyond what the currency status tells us. Lastly, as the value of the dollar decreases, there is no special paper which it is printed on which can enhance its value, such as in the case of metals.

Author's Bio: 

Robert Kress RPh CCN, an independent researcher and author on health, sovereign wealth, and preparedness can be found online at his website, http://www.awareandprepare.com, which he co-write with his wife Amy. You can find out more Self Sufficient and Sustainable Awareness and Preparedness Solutions for Everyday People as well as to sign up for your free newsletter on how to be Aware, Prepare and Flourish, visit the Aware and Prepare website.