Silver knocks on door of $40

Silver swept toward $40 a troy ounce in New York trading in early April.

By the close on April 6, 1 ounce of the precious metal was $39.38, a 31-year high.

In 1980 silver traded over the $40 level for just six days.

At an even $40 an ounce, the melt value of pre-1965 U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars is 28.6 times face value.

Gold set an all-time high of $1,458 a troy ounce by the close April 6.

This is up from $256 a troy ounce, a low point just days before the attacks on the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001.

• Premium Collector's Series: Smart Coin Collecting

• Subscribe to our Coin Price Guide, buy Coin Books & Coin Folders and join the NumisMaster VIP Program

• Strike It Rich with Pocket Change, 2nd Edition