U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. One dollar in face value of these coins holds about 0.715 troy ounces of silver, so their value moves with the live spot price. Scarce dates, high grades and the Chicago commemoratives can sell for more than their silver.
Which coins are 90% silver
The dividing line is the date. U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver, and dealers call the common dates in this group junk silver, a trade term for coins bought for their metal.
Other 90% coins often sit in the same box. The 1964 Kennedy half belongs to this group too, since it is dated before the 1965 change.
Morgan dollars (1878 to 1904 and 1921) and Peace dollars (1921 to 1935) are 90% silver, and so are the three Chicago and Illinois commemoratives: the Columbian half dollar, the 1893 Isabella quarter and the 1918 Illinois Centennial half. Silver proof sets from many years also hold 90% silver coins.
Two common silver items use different purities. The American Silver Eagle, made since 1986, holds one troy ounce of .999 silver, and sterling silver flatware and jewelry is 92.5% silver. Both are bought by weight, apart from the 90% coins.
| Coin | Dates | Silver | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimes, quarters, half dollars | 1964 and earlier | 90% | Face value and silver spot, unless a better date |
| Morgan dollars | 1878 to 1904, 1921 | 90%, 0.7734 troy oz | Silver, or collector demand for better dates |
| Peace dollars | 1921 to 1935 | 90%, 0.7734 troy oz | Silver, or collector demand for better dates |
| Kennedy half dollars | 1965 to 1970 | 40% | Silver content |
| War nickels | 1942 to 1945 | 35% | Silver content |
| Clad dimes and quarters | 1965 and later | None | Face value |
Silver content by face value
Coins in this group are counted by face value. One dollar in face value of 90% dimes, quarters or halves holds about 0.715 troy ounces of silver, whatever mix of coins makes up that dollar.
That makes a large lot easy to estimate before you call. Add up the face value of the 1964 and earlier coins, multiply by 0.715, and you have the approximate troy ounces of silver in the group. A single 90% quarter works out to about 0.179 troy ounces, a dime to about 0.0715 and a half dollar to about 0.3575.
Larger lots follow the same math. Fifty dollars in face value of 1964 and earlier coins holds about 35.75 troy ounces of silver, and $1,000 in face value holds about 715 troy ounces, which is why old bank bags of dimes and quarters are heavy to lift.
Face value is the standard count because worn coins weigh a little less than new ones while their face value stays the same. A scale reading that comes in slightly under the face-value figure is normal for well-circulated coins.
| Face value | Coins | Silver, troy oz (about) |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | 10 dimes, 4 quarters or 2 halves | 0.715 |
| $5 | 50 dimes or 20 quarters | 3.575 |
| $10 | 100 dimes, 40 quarters or 20 halves | 7.15 |
| $100 | 1,000 dimes or 400 quarters | 71.5 |
How offers on 90% silver are set
Offers on common-date 90% coins follow the live spot price for silver. At the appointment the coins are counted and then weighed on a calibrated scale you can read, so the count and the weight can be checked against each other.
Before anything goes into the melt pile, each date and mint mark is checked under a loupe. We sort collector coins from melt coins so a better date is never priced as bullion, and the written offer shows which coins were priced as silver and which as collector pieces.
For collector pieces we work from published price guides, dealer wholesale sheets and recent auction results. The offer on those coins follows current collector demand, which can sit well above the silver in them. Rolls and bags get opened, since a roll that looks like common quarters from both ends can hold a better date in the middle.
Silver dollars are counted coin by coin. Each Morgan or Peace dollar holds 0.7734 troy ounces, so a roll of 20 holds about 15.5 troy ounces, and each coin in it gets its own check for date, mint mark and grade before anything is weighed.
40% halves, war nickels and clad coins
Kennedy half dollars changed in 1965. Halves dated 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver, so each holds less than half the silver of a 1964 half, and they are bought for that silver content.
A 1964 half and a 1965 half carry the same Kennedy design, so the date is the only quick way to tell them apart. Keep them in a separate pile from the 1964 and earlier halves so the two groups are counted apart.
War nickels, struck from 1942 to 1945, are 35% silver. They are the only nickels in a typical jar with any silver in them, which makes the date range worth checking on every nickel from those years.
Dimes and quarters dated 1965 and later, and half dollars dated 1971 and later, are copper-nickel clad. Outside of silver proof sets they hold no silver and are worth face value, and we hand them back at the appointment.
Silver coins that sell above melt
A scarce date or mint mark can lift a silver coin above its metal value, and so can high grade. Sharp detail and original luster carry the premium, and cleaned coins lose it, because collectors pay far less for a cleaned coin.
Among silver dollars, Carson City Morgans from 1878 to 1893 draw collector interest, and the 1893-S Morgan is a famous rarity. The 1921 Morgan is a common date by comparison. Each Morgan and Peace dollar holds 0.7734 troy ounces of silver, so even a common date carries more silver than a dollar's worth of dimes.
The Chicago commemoratives each sell above silver in their own way, and all three are worth pulling out of a silver lot before it is weighed. The 1893 Isabella quarter, made for collectors at the World's Columbian Exposition with only 40,023 struck, sells well above its silver value in any grade. The 1918 Illinois Centennial half sells to collectors above silver with price following grade, and worn Columbian halves bring a little more than their silver, with sharp, lustrous examples bringing more.
Sorting a jar, a box or a proof set before you call
A quick sort by date gives you a rough picture of a lot before the appointment. Leave coins in their original rolls, tubes or bags if they came that way, and do not clean them.
Silver proof sets from many years hold 90% silver coins, so a set from before 1965 has silver value even if no one ever opened it. Proof coins are struck twice on polished dies for collectors, and a set in its original packaging is priced as a set, with collector demand added to the silver. Mint sets hold uncirculated coins, and the dimes, quarters and halves in sets dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver.
Leave both kinds of sets sealed, since opening them or wiping the coins can lower what a collector will pay. Albums and folders work the same way. Leave the coins in their slots, because we check each one for date, mint mark and grade before anything is counted as melt silver.
A handful of coins takes about 10 minutes to check, and a full jar or a large box of rolls can take 30 to 60 minutes. The written, item-by-item offer you get at the end also helps families split an estate fairly, and if you decline, you keep the coins and the list.
- Dimes, quarters and halves dated 1964 and earlier
- Kennedy halves dated 1965 to 1970
- Nickels dated 1942 to 1945
- Silver dollars, kept apart from the rest
- Everything else, which is most likely clad
Silver coin lots from Chicago homes
Silver coin lots in Chicago often took a lifetime to build. In Bridgeport, Cicero and Berwyn, where many families have owned the same home for generations, coffee cans of pre-1965 dimes and quarters and rolls of old halves still turn up in basements and closets. People who search to sell silver coins in Chicago are often working through one of those houses for a parent.
We buy by private appointment, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and set where to meet when you book. Silver is heavy, and a box of halves or a sack of dimes is awkward to carry on the L or a Metra train, so for a large lot you can ask about a home visit. A bag that holds several hundred dollars in face value can be counted and weighed in under an hour, with every roll opened and every date checked first.
Call (773) 241-8624 for a same-day callback. Bring a government-issued photo ID to sell. Every coin is counted and weighed in front of you, and you receive a free written offer.
Say yes and you are paid that day, in cash or by same-day wire for a big lot. Say no and the coins and the written list go home with you.
Ready to sell? See how we handle selling silver coins in Chicago, read about a free coin appraisal, or call (773) 241-8624.