Thank you @papa-pepper. I had my hunches about saving silver and now you've confirmed it.
Something I noticed in 2011 in my country was that the 10cents coin which was originally gold-plated became copper plated. Our copper-plated 5cents coins (which are bigger and heavier) are not in circulation anymore. I remember the days when people fashionably chuck it in the street if it appeared in their wallets
I think that even ordinary people have learnt this bad habit of saving cash as opposed to real money; gold and silver..