I had no idea that the bicentennial quarters had silver content. Wow. I have a BUNCH of them. As for the separating of the metals, I don't see the need right now. I hear questions about melting coins all the time but the 'value' of the coin seems to be based on it's contnent and you really have no need to smelt them. Some folks talk about melting pre-82 pennies and nickels. I don't think a bar is more valuable than the coins.
For the pennies and nicholes I could see the reasoning since most folks dont want to buy them (in general) over face or at least not at the metal value and they passed a law IIRC that the scrap yards and such couldnt buy/smelt coins anymore because so many were takeing in the copper pennies. So if you melt them down your self and take them blobs or bars of copper then you could sell them, if you keep them as coins you just get face. On the silver coins I would agree though since its a known comodity in coin form but in the form of a bar or blob the buyer dont know without testing equiptment the purity and such.
For post 65 coins I tell people I will give them 80% of face value...but I have yet to have any takers
