Many of the folks here were around when silver was circulating money, back in the 60's ( Ok...some of you were in diapers, but you were still here ) The question "what did a $1000 cost" was silly.....a $1000 was a $1000, of course...paper, coin, it didn't matter. Flash forward 40 years. What does a REAL $1000 worth of US silver coin cost today ??? 13,000 Federal Reserve Notes. http://www.apmex.com/Category/17/90_...lls__Bags.aspx In 40 years, the value of silver has remained constant......silver has remained constant, the Federal Reserve Note has gone down in value by a factor of 13 times. The paper dollar of 1964 is now worth 7.69 cents.