Silver coin melt value
A coin's melt value is the silver it contains times the silver price: weight × fineness × spot. The content is not a matter of opinion. It was set by Act of Congress, and it has not changed since. Enter a current silver price below to value any US silver coin, roll, or bag.
Price every US silver coin from one quote
The box starts at the World Bank monthly average for August 2026, $65.40 per troy ounce. Replace it with a current spot quote and the table recomputes. Metal value only; no premium, collector value, or dealer margin is included.
| Coin | Years | Silver, troy oz | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dime 2.5 g at 900 fine | 1873–1964 | 0.0723 | $4.73 |
| Quarter 6.25 g at 900 fine | 1873–1964 | 0.1808 | $11.83 |
| Half dollar 12.5 g at 900 fine | 1873–1964 | 0.3617 | $23.65 |
| Morgan or Peace dollar 412.5 grains at 900 fine | 1878–1935 | 0.7734 | $50.58 |
| Half dollar, 40% silver 11.5 g containing 4.6 g of silver | 1965–1970 | 0.1479 | $9.67 |
| War nickel 5 g at 35% silver | 1942–1945 | 0.0563 | $3.68 |
| American Silver Eagle 1 troy ounce, .999 fine | 1986– | 1.0000 | $65.40 |
| $1 face value, 90% silver any mix of dimes, quarters, halves | 1873–1964 | 0.7234 | $47.31 |
| $1,000 face value bag, 90% silver as struck, before wear | 1873–1964 | 723.4 | $47,310 |
| One gram of pure silver .999 and finer | — | 0.0322 | $2.10 |
| One gram of sterling 925 fine, per 16 CFR 23.5 | — | 0.0297 | $1.94 |
Silver content is computed from each coin's statutory weight and fineness, using 31.1034768 grams to the troy ounce. A worn coin holds slightly less than its struck weight.
How melt value is calculated
Melt value = weight × fineness × silver price per troy ounce.
Take a 90% silver dime. It was struck at 2.5 grams, of which 900 parts per thousand are silver: 2.25 grams, or 0.0723 troy ounces. At the reference price above that is $4.73 of metal. Nothing in that calculation depends on who is doing it.
Circulation wears metal off a coin, so a bag of well-used dimes assays slightly below the table. Dealers price circulated bags on that basis.
What each US silver coin contains
The line most readers came for is 1964. Dimes, quarters, and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Dimes and quarters dated 1965 and later contain none at all. Half dollars kept 40% silver from 1965 through 1970, and nickels struck from 1942 through 1945, identified by the large mint mark above Monticello, are 35% silver.
- Dime, 1873–19640.0723 oz — $4.73
- Quarter, 1873–19640.1808 oz — $11.83
- Half dollar, 1873–19640.3617 oz — $23.65
- Morgan or Peace dollar0.7734 oz — $50.58
- Half dollar, 1965–19700.1479 oz — $9.67
- War nickel, 1942–19450.0563 oz — $3.68
Dollar figures use the August 2026 monthly average; the calculator above reprices them from any quote.
Why the statute settles it
Three Acts of Congress fix every figure on this page. The Coinage Act of 1873 set US silver coins at 900 parts fine per thousand, the half dollar at 12.5 grams, the quarter at half that weight, and the dime at a fifth of it. The Act of February 28, 1878 set the standard silver dollar at 412.5 grains of standard silver, the weight behind every Morgan and Peace dollar. The Coinage Act of 1965 removed silver from the dime and quarter and set the half dollar at 11.5 grams containing 4.6 grams of silver.
The wartime nickel alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese followed an Act of March 27, 1942, as recorded by the National WWII Museum. Because the content is statutory, two sources that disagree about it are not both right.
Melt value is a floor, not a price
For a common, circulated coin, melt value is close to what a dealer will pay, less that dealer's margin. For a scarce date, a particular mint mark, or a coin in high grade, the collector price can sit far above the metal, and the difference is decided by grading, which is a specialist judgment.
This page values metal and nothing else. It does not price any individual coin, and it does not assess condition. Anyone holding a coin that might be scarce should have it assessed before selling it as scrap, because melting is not reversible. How to sell gold sets out the sell-side mechanics, and they apply to silver in the same way.
Bags, rolls, and face value
One dollar of face value in 90% silver holds 0.7234 troy ounces of silver, whether it is ten dimes, four quarters, or two half dollars, because the coins were struck to the same weight per dollar of face value. That is why the trade quotes "junk silver" as a multiple of face value rather than by the piece: a $1,000 face bag is 723.4 troy ounces as struck, $47,310 at the reference price.
What a dealer pays
A dealer sells above spot and buys below it, and each dealer sets its own spread, as the CFTC notes. Percentage premiums on small silver items are commonly wider than on gold, because a fixed handling cost spreads over a lower metal value. Ask for the price per item against the spot price used, in writing. What a gold bar or coin is worth works through the same arithmetic on the gold side, and gold vs silver compares the two metals' records.
Tax
Silver coins are collectibles for federal income tax, so a net long-term gain on one held outside a retirement account faces the same 28% federal ceiling as gold (IRS Topic 409). Gold IRA tax rules covers the retirement-account side.
Frequently asked
- How much silver is in a silver dollar?
- A Morgan or Peace dollar weighs 412.5 grains of 900 fine silver, which is 0.7734 troy ounces of silver. At the World Bank monthly average for August 2026, $65.40 an ounce, that metal is worth $50.58. Eisenhower dollars struck for circulation from 1971 contain no silver.
- What is a 1921 silver dollar worth?
- Its silver is worth $50.58 at the reference price above, because 1921 Morgan and Peace dollars hold 0.7734 troy ounces of silver. That figure is the floor, not the price. Date, mint mark, and condition can carry a coin far above its metal value, and this page does not grade or price individual coins.
- Which US coins contain silver?
- Dimes, quarters, and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier are 90% silver. Dimes and quarters dated 1965 and later contain none. Half dollars dated 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver. Nickels dated 1942 through 1945 with a large mint mark above Monticello are 35% silver. American Silver Eagles, from 1986, are one troy ounce of .999 silver.
- What is the melt value of a 90% silver dime, quarter, and half dollar?
- A dime holds 0.0723 troy ounces, a quarter 0.1808, and a half dollar 0.3617. At the reference price that is $4.73, $11.83, and $23.65. Enter a current price in the calculator to reprice all three.
- How much silver is in $1,000 face value of junk silver?
- 723.4 troy ounces as struck, worth $47,310 at the reference price. Circulated coins have lost metal to wear, so a bag assays slightly below that figure, and dealers price bags accordingly.
- Is sterling silver the same as coin silver?
- No. Under the FTC jewelry guides at 16 CFR 23.5, "sterling" requires at least 925 parts silver per thousand, and "coin silver" requires at least 900. A gram of sterling therefore holds slightly more silver than a gram of US coin alloy.
Related research
- What a gold bar or coin is worth — fine weight, premium, and a calculator for gold.
- Gold price per gram — the karat arithmetic for gold jewelry.
- How to sell gold — buyers, written offers, and what a receipt must show.
- Gold vs silver — returns, volatility, and storage compared.
- Gold to silver ratio — the price relationship, over 66 years.
- Gold and silver IRAs — holding either metal in a retirement account.
- IRA-eligible gold — the fineness rules, which exclude most coin silver.
Sources
- Coinage Act of 1873 — fineness and coin weights.
- Act of February 28, 1878 — the 412.5-grain silver dollar.
- Coinage Act of 1965 — clad dimes and quarters, and the 40% half dollar.
- 16 CFR Part 23 — sterling at 925 and coin silver at 900 parts per thousand.
- World Bank Commodity Price Data — the August 2026 monthly average used as the seed.