Common Silver Coins (U. S.)

United States Silver Coins

In 1965, the United States stopped producing coins containing 90 percent silver. They must have seen the proverbial "handwriting on the wall". When silver topped out at $50.50 per ounce, the silver content of these coins far outweighed their face value. That still holds true today - a silver dime contains close to a dollar's worth of silver.

In this article, I provide information on the silver content (purity) of mostly pre-1965 common (and not-so-common) U.S. silver coins. Since there is a difference in the silver content of circulated and uncirculated silver coins, I will cover both.

How You Can Use This Information

If you are considering selling or buying U.S. silver coins, you can use this information to determine the value of each coin's silver content based on the current spot price of silver. Then shop various dealers to see who gives you the best (and fairest) price.

United States War Nickels

Before discussing the more familiar U. S. silver coins, you should be aware of the lesser-known U. S. War Nickels. From 1942-1945, the normal alloy of .750 copper and .250 nickel for U. S. nickels was changed because nickel was too valuable to the war effort. During these war years, U. S. nickels were minted using .560 copper, .350 silver and .090 manganese. This 35% silver content amounted to .0563 Troy ounces of pure silver. In 1946, U. S. nickels went back to their pre-war content.

United States Ninety-Percent Silver Dimes

This information applies to the: Barber (or Liberty Head) Dime minted from 1892-1916; Mercury (or Winged Liberty Head) Dime minted from 1916-1945; and Roosevelt Dime minted from 1946-1964. From 1965 to present, the Roosevelt dime has been minted containing .750 copper and .250 nickel.

Circulated Silver Dimes: Silver content=.0715 Troy ounces; Silver fineness=.9000 (the other .1000 is copper); Gross weight=.079 Troy ounces (2.471 grams); Net (silver) weight=.0715 Troy ounces (2.2239 grams).

Uncirculated Silver Dimes: Silver content=.0723 Troy ounces; Silver fineness=.9000; Gross weight=.080 Troy ounces (2.500 grams); Net (silver) weight=.0723 Troy ounces (2.2500 grams).

To determine the silver (melt) value of a circulated dime, multiply .0715 times the current spot price of silver. Example: .0715 x $15.00 = $1.0725

United States Ninety-Percent Silver Quarters

This information applies to the: Barber (or Liberty Head) Quarter minted from 1892-1916; Standing Liberty Quarter minted from 1916-1930; and the Washington Quarter minted from 1932-1964. From 1965 to present, the Washington quarter has been minted containing .750 copper and .250 nickel.

Circulated Silver Quarters: Silver content=.1788 Troy ounces; Silver fineness=.9000 (the other .1000 is copper); Gross weight=.198 Troy ounces (6.178 grams); Net (silver) weight=.1788 Troy ounces (5.5597 grams).

Uncirculated Silver Quarters: Silver content=.1808 Troy ounces; Silver fineness=.9000; Gross weight=.201 Troy ounces (6.250 grams); Net (silver) weight=.1808 Troy ounces (5.6250 grams).

To determine the silver (melt) value of a circulated quarter, multiply .1788 times the current spot price of silver. Example: .1788 x $15.00 = $2.682

United States Ninety-Percent Silver Half-Dollars

This information applies to the: Barber (or Liberty Head) Half-Dollar minted from 1892-1915; Walking Liberty Half-Dollar minted from 1916-1947; the Benjamin Franklin Half-Dollar minted from 1948-1963; and the 1964 Kennedy Half-Dollar.

Circulated Silver Half-Dollars: Silver content=.3575 Troy ounces; Silver fineness= .9000 (the other .1000 is copper); Gross weight=.397 Troy ounces (12.355 grams); Net (silver) weight=.3575 Troy ounces (11.1195 grams).

Uncirculated Silver Half-Dollars: Silver content=.3617 Troy ounces; Silver fineness=.9000; Gross weight=.401 Troy ounces (12.500 grams); Net (silver) weight=.3617 Troy ounces (11.2501 grams).

To determine the silver (melt) value of a circulated half-dollar, multiply .3575 times the current spot price of silver. Example: .3575 x $15.00 = $5.3625

United States Forty-Percent Silver Half-Dollars

This information applies to the: Kennedy Half-Dollar minted from 1965-1970. This coin consists of an outer layer of .800 silver and .200 copper bonded to an inner core of .209 silver and .791 copper. From 1971 to date, the Kennedy Half-Dollar consists of .750 copper and .250 nickel.

Circulated 40% Silver Half-Dollars: Silver content=.1475 Troy ounces; Silver fineness= .4000 (the other .6000 is copper); Gross weight=.368 Troy ounces (11.469 grams); Net (silver) weight=.1475 Troy ounces (4.5878 grams).

Uncirculated 40% Silver Half-Dollars: Same as circulated 40% half-dollars.

To determine the silver (melt) value of a 40% silver half-dollar, multiply .1475 times the current spot price of silver. Example: .1475 x $15.00 = $2.2125

United States Ninety-Percent Silver Dollars

This information applies to the: Morgan Silver Dollar minted from 1878-1921; and the Peace Silver Dollar from 1921-1935.

Circulated Silver Dollars: Silver content=.7650 Troy ounces; Silver fineness= .9000 (the other .1000 is copper); Gross weight=.850 Troy ounces (26.438 grams); Net (silver) weight=.7650 Troy ounces (23.7941 grams).

Uncirculated Silver Dollars: Silver content=.7734 Troy ounces; Silver fineness=.9000; Gross weight=.859 Troy ounces (26.728 grams); Net (silver) weight=.7734 Troy ounces (24.0566 grams).

To determine the silver (melt) value of a circulated dollar, multiply .7650 times the current spot price of silver. Example: .7650 x $15.00 = $11.475

Whether buying or selling your silver coins, be sure to compare the prices of several dealers. Prices can vary widely and you will want to either get the maximum amount of silver coins for your money or the maximum amount of money for your silver coins.

U. S. Silver Coins on eBay

You can find useful information on U. S. Silver Coins from current eBay auctions. A review of these auctions will tell you which silver coins sell better than others and current bid prices for various grades of coins. Especially valuable are the silver coin auctions that are closest to expiring - both those with bids and those with no bids. They can give you a good idea of what are fair prices today for various U. S. Silver Coins - and which are not.

If you only want to invest in one or a few coins at a time, eBay auctions might be just the ticket for you (many dealers are not interested in small sales). It's free to set up an account - just click on any auction below, look for "register" in the upper left-hand corner (by the eBay logo) and click it to get started.

For your convenience, I have included a number of U. S. Silver Coin auctions closest to expiration below (none of these auctions are mine). Check back often - you may be able to pick up some nice silver coins at a decent price.

If you see an auction you want to bid on, you will want to check on the seller's eBay "reputation" before you bid. On the auction page, look for "Meet the seller" on the right-hand side (toward the top). There you will see the seller ID followed by a number in parenthesis. The higher that transaction number + high positive feedback (95% or better), the more assurance you have of a "safe" winning bid.

Disclaimer: I have made every reasonable effort to produce an informative and helpful article on Common U.S. Silver Coins based on my research and experiences. However, I make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to its completeness, accuracy or suitability for any specific situation or purpose. See Terms and Conditions for more info.

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