Ric, I agree with you, we as collectors need to give the Casino's and mints some ideas to to keep the hobby alive. Going to a lessor amount of silver or even heavy silver plate would do the job and still keep the strike looking the same. I for one am not collecting the strikes for their silver content but for the fun of chasing the coin. At this point anything we can do to help would be a positive.
Jeff (in Scottsdale, AZ.)