Junk silver calculator
Short answer: Each dollar of face value in 90% US silver dimes, quarters or half dollars holds about 0.723 troy ounces of pure silver. A dime holds 0.0723 oz, a quarter 0.1808 oz, a half dollar 0.3617 oz and a silver dollar 0.7734 oz.
How to use it
- Count your coins by type and enter each count.
- Enter today's silver spot price per troy ounce.
- Read the pure silver in troy ounces and grams, and the melt value.
- Compare any dealer offer with the melt value, remembering that dealers pay below it.
Formula: pure silver (oz) = number of coins × silver content per coin
Questions
What is junk silver?+
Junk silver means everyday circulated coins that were minted in silver, such as US dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier. They are valued mainly for their metal, not their condition.
Which US coins are 90% silver?+
Dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 and earlier, and the Morgan and Peace silver dollars. Kennedy half dollars from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver.
Why is a bag of junk silver priced per dollar of face value?+
Because every 90% coin of the same face value holds the same silver, a dollar of face value is a convenient unit: it holds about 0.723 troy ounces of pure silver.
Are worn coins worth less?+
Slightly. Wear removes a tiny amount of metal, so circulated coins hold a little less silver than the uncirculated figures, and dealers often price bags by the face value with that in mind.
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